The Littlest Kumiho
by Neoraichu
Summary: Blythe finds a Korean red fox trapped in Downtown City's park and takes it back to the shop to help it get better. But what's so special about this fox and what does it matter to Blythe's future? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The Littlest Kumiho

Part One: Acts of Kindness

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

"Isn't it just a nice day for a walk?" asked Blythe as she held on to the leashes of Zoe, Pepper, Penny and Minka.

"It's good to get away from the boys for a little while," agreed Zoe.

"Don't you think they'll get lonely back at the Littlest Pet Shop without us around?" asked Penny.

Zoe snorted before she replied, "It's not like we're going to be gone that long."

"I think we should go to the park," suggested Minka, "That place has the best trees to climb."

"Sure," agreed Blythe, "Let's find a place out of the way. It's inconvenient that every person that sees you in a tree thinks you've escaped from me and tries to call Animal Control on us."

"You'd think they'd know better by now," she replied.

"They just don't know you the way I do," answered Blythe cheerfully.

"No one does," said Pepper.

So they changed streets to travel in the direction of the City Park. A short montage of buildings, streets and people passed before they got their. She only stopped a couple of times to chat with passersby about her charges as well as get a few hot dogs. After all, hot dogs weren't good for animals, but she couldn't resist Zoe's begging eyes. She liked them as much as any other dog Blythe knew. Considering what was in most hot dogs, Blythe wondered if Zoe would still like them so much.

"Well here we are," said Blythe as they walked into the park. They made their way into the heart of the park to find the most secluded place they could find.

"It's lucky Sunil isn't here," muttered Pepper, "You know being anywhere even remotely wild... sends him climbing the trees!"

The others simply groaned at her attempted humor.

"What?!" she protested, "I thought that was pretty good!"

"Just keep working on that," muttered Zoe.

So they walked deeper into the park where they could soon leave the path. A place where they could get out of sight of the humans using the park. While they weren't supposed to leave the path, the city didn't really have enough people to keep people from leaving the marked paths.

"This looks like a good place to stay out of sight for a while," commented Blythe as she looked at the narrow copse of trees they had walked into.

"Wait," said Zoe, "I hear something. We're not alone."

"It's probably a rabbit or a squirrel," replied Minka.

"No," she replied, "It doesn't sound like one of those. The smell isn't right either."

"Where is it?" asked Blythe.

"I think it's just beyond those bushes over there," she said as she pointed with her nose.

As they drew closer, they could hear sounds of whimpering. It didn't quite sound right for any dog or cat that they had heard before.

"I better see what it is," said Zoe, "It might be something dangerous."

"Are you sure?" asked Blythe.

"I think I have the best chance to run and hide if I have to," she replied.

So Blythe let Zoe off the leash to go into the brush to see what was making the sounds.

"I hope she's okay," muttered Blythe.

"Wow, you really put your feet in that one," said Zoe from the other side of the bush.

"Come to mock my bad fortune?" asked a voice from the other side.

"Oh no," she replied, "I wouldn't wish that one any animal!"

"What's going on?!" asked Minka.

"It's some kind of fox," replied Zoe, "They're caught in a leg trap."

"What da what?!" asked Blythe, "This is a city park! Those are supposed to be illegal!"

"Stay back or I'll bite!" hissed the fox.

"I'm just here to help!" replied Zoe.

"Why would a pampered pet like you care about a wild animal like me?!"

Blythe pushed through the bushes with the others in tow. It was then that she saw a small fox with both front legs caught in a leg trap. While it was toothless, it was surely hurting the little animal with how tight it was.

"STAY BACK OR I'LL BITE!" cried the fox in distress. It tried to pull away against the leg trap, but the short chain anchored in the ground kept them in place.

"I'm not here to hurt you," said Blythe soothingly.

"Wait!" it replied, "You... understand me?"

"Sure I do," she replied softly.

"She understands all animals," said Zoe, "or at least most of them..."

"And she's about the kindest human you'll ever meet," added Penny.

"Oh you poor thing!" called Blythe, "How long have you been stuck like this?!"

The fox paused to think before answering, "Almost two days."

"You must be starving!"

"Oh, I've been through worse."

"Look," she replied as she fished around in her handbag, "I just want to give you some water and some treats I carry around for the pets. I promise they're okay."

"Why should I trust you, human?"

"I don't see you having much choice fox," muttered Zoe.

"How do I know this stuff isn't poisonous?!"

"Look, if you're that suspicious, I'll drink and eat some first just to show you I'd trust Blythe with my life!"

"Okay..." replied Blythe. So she poured some water in a small bowl she carried in her bag and let Zoe lap up some. Then she offered her a treat that she eagerly devoured. Once the fox was sure she was sincere, she placed water and some more treats down on the ground within reach of the fox. While sniffing cautiously at first, she was soon drinking and eating eagerly.

"See?" asked Penny, "Blythe cares about all animals."

"You aren't a local fox, are you?" asked Blythe.

"What makes you say that?" asked the fox as she paused drinking.

"There's something... off about your accent..."

"The humans where I live," replied the fox, "They call it ' _Ko-ree-ah_ '."

"Ah!" said Blythe, "That's where Youngmee is from!" She paused before she added, "That's a long way from home. How'd you get all the way over here."

"I didn't want to be here. Humans stole me from my parents and stuffed me in a box. It was small, hot and uncomfortable. I was bounced around and left without food for a good day or so. Then they feed me some... junk food... and stuffed me into another vehicle. Somehow, I managed to escape the truck and slipped into the park... but I got caught in this trap because... because... I was so hungry!"

"If you promise not to bite, I promise I'll get you out of that trap."

"Why do you care so much?"

"I... just do."

The fox paused before replying, "I promise not to bite as long as you don't hurt me first."

"Well... that's good enough," she replied as she moved closer. She put her hands on the jaws of the trap and began to pry it open. Fortunately, it was no bear trap or she would surely have not been strong enough to do so. Once out, the fox tried to spring away only to fall onto it's side in pain.

"AH!" moaned the fox, "That hurts!"

Looking at it's forelegs, Blythe could see blood from the fox's efforts to get loose in the places the leg trap was holding it.

"Look," she said, "There's no way you're getting home like this. You're hurt and there's not much in the way of hunting around here. If you let me take you back to the Littlest Pet Shop, I'm sure we'll get you fixed up properly. I swear we'll find a way to get you back to Korea and back to your parents."

"I'm not a pet!"

"I promise I'll keep you hidden from the other humans until you get better. No one will treat you like a pet. They won't even know you're here... well not until you're fit to be sent back home."

The fox paused for a moment before replying, "Alright... I'll trust you."

"Okay," she replied as she drew closer, "Now I need to treat you legs. Lucky I keep emergency supplies in my bag just in case... Oh, and you can call me Blythe. What's your name?"

"I'm a wild fox," replied the fox, "I have no need of names!"

She began to get medical supplies from her bag as she looked at the foxes forelegs. Then she took some antiseptic wipes from her bag as she said, "This might sting just a little, but I promise it won't last."

"It can't hurt any more than..." said the fox as Blythe started to clean its forelegs, "YIPE!"

"It's okay!" said Zoe, "It's been done to my boo-boos before!"

"Me too!" added Minka.

But the fox rolled onto it's back as Blythe continued to treat the forelegs.

"Oh," she mused, "You're a vixen aren't you?"

"What does that matter?" asked the fox.

"Oh, nothing important," she replied as she removed a roll of bandages. Then Blythe began wrapping the forelegs in clean gauze tape. It soon seemed like her forelegs were becoming mummified.

"How can I walk like this?"

"Oh yeah," muttered Pepper, "You were walking really good before..."

The fox growled.

"But how can you sneak a fox into the Pet Shop?" asked Penny.

"Oh that's not hard," said Blythe, "If you don't mind being carried in my handbag for a little while."

"All right," she replied, "but I'm still no one's pet!"

"Understood," she said as she wrapped the fox in a blanket and slipped her into her bag. There was a rustling in the bag.

"Hey!" said Zoe, "Is she eating our treats?!"

"Don't worry," said Blythe as she started walking home, "There's plenty more where that came from." Then she paused to say, "Sorry about cutting our time in the park short."

"Oh, we understand," said Minka.

"But I don't think Russel will understand," muttered Pepper.

"That we have more treats?"

"No, that we're bringing a fox back to the Littlest Pet Shop."

"Oh..."


	2. Chapter 2

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Two: Acts of Generosity

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe glanced down into her handbag as she walked back towards the Littlest Pet Shop.

"Oh the poor dear must have been so stressed," she sighed as she looked at the fox wrapped in her spare blanket.

"Why do you say that?" asked Zoe.

"She fell asleep," came the reply.

"I'm not surprised," said Minka.

"Why's that?"

"Oh, it just feels like home in there," she giggled.

"What da what?"

"I think she means foxes like to live in dens," answered Pepper, "and what could make a cozier den than your handbag?"

"I... guess so," she mused.

"So how are we going to explain a fox to Russel, Sunil and Vinnie?" asked Penny Ling.

"I... I'm still working on that one," she replied awkwardly.

"The last time something close to this happened, we could get Russel out of his curled up defense mode for three days!" giggled Pepper.

"Ah... Don't remind me."

"I think she just did," said Penny.

"Besides," said Zoe, "What are we supposed to feed a fox?"

"Oh I'm pretty sure that the kind of food we feed you will be fine," replied Blythe absentmindedly.

She blinked as she looked back.

"What? It's not like we're going to run out..."

"Well she is a wild fox," she answered as she looked away.

"We can't exactly let her hunt in the park," she replied, "Not with those illegal traps around."

"Well I suppose I see your point."

"Besides, I'd feel bad if she killed and ate some of the animals there," sighed Blythe, "I know a lot of them."

"Well that surely is true," she said in reply, "But how are you going to keep her hidden from Miss Twombly?"

"I... I'm still working on that one," she replied awkwardly.

"Oh just tell her it's one of those rare Korean Fox-Hounds," said Pepper.

"I'd hate to lie to Miss Twombly..."

"Well technically it's half true," replied Zoe, "So it's only a little white lie."

"I guess..."

The remaining walk to the Shop passed by without any further comments. They looked up to the Shop sign as if they hadn't seen it in a long while.

"Well here goes nothing," she said as she pushed aside the door on her way in.

"Oh there you are Blythe," said Miss Twombly as she paused in her dusting, "Did you have a good walk?"

"Oh, it went well enough," replied Blythe as she began removing the leashes from Zoe, Pepper, Penny and Minka.

"That's good," she answered, "but you might want to check on the hedgehog..."

"Russel?"

"Yes Russel," she replied, "He seems to be a bit upset at how long you've been gone."

"Oh dear... I better take care of that right away."

"I'm sure it's no big deal."

"I hope not," replied Blythe as she headed for the back.

She noticed right away that Russel was curled up in a spiky ball while Vinnie and Sunil were trying to comfort him.

"It will be okay," assured Vinnie, "She should be back any time now."

"She is back right now," said Pepper, "Why are you acting like she's been gone a week?!"

Russel popped out of his curled up form to look around.

"Yes I'm back," said Blythe as she came closer.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" cried Russel.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Russel was bothered by a nightmare about you being attacked by a fox," said Sunil, "He was totally convinced that it really happened and that you would be in a hospital somewhere."

"A fox attack you say?" asked Blyther nervously as she clung to her bag more tightly.

"That sounds silly," said Minka, "We just found a fox in the park, but no one got attacked."

She shot a quick glare at Minka before Russel cried, "You found a FOX in the park?!" Then he began to hyperventilate.

"Breathe Russel breathe," said Blythe quickly.

"It's not like a fox would dare try following Blythe through the city back to the shop in the middle of the day," replied Sunil, "A fox is not that brave."

"Thank goodness for that," sighed Russel.

Then her handbag made a noise.

"What was that?!"

"Oh that's just the fox we brought back from the park waking up," offered Minka helpfully.

"YOU BROUGHT BACK A FOX FROM THE PARK?!" screamed Russel.

"We couldn't just leave her stuck in a leg trap!" replied Blythe, "She would have died without help!"

"Isn't that what zoos are for?" asked Vinnie.

"We couldn't do that. She's a Korean fox and I have to get her back home with her parents as soon as she recovers. The zoo wouldn't send her back home."

"So you brought her here to EAT US?!" asked Russel.

"I promise she's not going to eat any of you!" promised Blythe.

"As much as I'd like to stay here all day," said the fox, "I don't want to soil my... den."

So Blythe took the fox from her bag and set her on the floor.

"Just use the litter box in the corner!" said Blythe quickly.

"Fine," she muttered as she took off towards the corner. Her gait seemed rather off because of the bandages on her forelegs.

"See. Look at how injured she is. She's not going to hunt down and kill any of you."

"She's probably just faking it to get us to drop our guards!" cried Russel.

"Like I'd go to the trouble of killing a spike ball like you," muttered the fox from the litter box.

"What about a mongoose?" asked Sunil.

"Not worth the trouble," she replied, "I've seen how quick your kind is at killing cobras and it's not worth the injuries you'd give me before I could kill you."

"I suppose there's a small comfort in that."

"What about geckos?" asked Vinnie.

"Meh," she mused, "You'll just drop your tail and run away. I suppose that's worth a small snack..."

Vinnie blanched.

"What?! I already know it will grow back..."

"But every time it comes off, there's a chance of infection," replied Blythe.

"Oh..."

"So what's the point of doing my stuff in this... box?" asked the fox.

"It's just... uh... easier for me to clean up later."

"They sure have you trained," she replied.

Blythe laughed nervously.


	3. Chapter 3

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Three: Acts of Hope

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe worked about the shop as usual while checking up on the pets in the back room. The fox seemed to know whenever Blythe was coming and seemed to be rather good at hiding, so she didn't worry all that much about Miss Twombly or some random customer coming in to see her either.

"You know," mused Miss Twombly, "Working so hard here at the Littlest Pet Shop, you must have so little time left over for designing your fashions. I feel like I'm taking away from your future."

"Oh that's alright," she replied as she returned from the pet area, "I can do all my jobs here and still have time for my designing career."

"Well once of these days, I promise I'll hire you an assistant so you can fully devote yourself to your real passions."

"That's... very kind of you," she replied awkwardly, "but I couldn't impose on you like that. You don't really have the budget to hire an assistant for me. I couldn't burden you like that."

"Well that's a real sweet thing to say," she said with a smile, "but one of these days I will make enough money to do that."

"Then you can worry about that once we get to that bridge. For now, things are alright just the way they are."

"I'm glad I'm not burdening you then."

"It's no burden," replied Blythe as she scratched the back of her head, "I promise."

"Okay then."

But Blythe was a little distracted. Each time she saw the fox, she had a flash in her mind about a dress or outfit she wanted to make for her. Each time she did, she'd shake her head and think, ' _Don't be silly. A wild fox surely would never want to wear clothing designer or otherwise._ ' After all, even her regular pet friends didn't expect to wear clothes most of the time. It was pretty much a unique human thing to wear garments most of their lives.

She head murmurs from the back so she slipped close to the door to listen in.

"You don't have any problems with kibble, do you?" asked Zoe.

"It's too dry and crunchy," replied the fox dryly, "but I've had stranger things from the metal boxes behind human eating places. You just have to pick the edible parts out from the ones you can't eat."

"Wait," she said raising her voice just slightly, "you eat food from dumpsters behind restaurants?!"

"Well there are times of the year where other food is scarce. Sometimes you have to eat what you can to survive. My parents taught me early about how to get into the metal boxes... dumpsters you say?.. and how to pick out the best things to eat."

"It's not like there's a human around to feed them," mused Penny Ling.

"And we don't expect humans to help us either," sniffed the fox, "In fact, they throw things at me whenever they saw me close to their buildings. If they didn't want us to take their food stash, then they shouldn't leave their dumpsters out in the open like that."

"Actually," replied Zoe, "That's not the reason that stuff is back there. It's back there because they don't want it anymore. They call that stuff _garbage_."

"Then why do they care so much if we help ourselves to it?"

"Because humans are... territorial."

"Oh..." said the fox softly, "So the dumpster is part of their hunting territory?"

"I suppose you could say that."

"But humans go to those places all the time. It seems like there's people there who only come once and never return. Why are they allowed on the hunting grounds when they don't want us animals around?"

"Well," replied Penny Ling, "Humans... are ' _pack animals_ '. They like to be together... most of the time. That's why they like going to each others homes to see each other."

"I see," she mused back, "Homes are what they call their dens? Are they like... a pack of dogs?"

"I suppose," replied Zoe.

"Funny," said the fox, "I thought humans were supposed to like dogs."

"Some do and some don't. Why did you say that?"

"There are dogs around who have no humans," she replied, "and they treat these dog packs as badly as they treat foxes like me."

"Oh, that's just the difference between a pet and a wild dog," said Zoe, "I guess we're lucky enough to be loved as pets and not left out in the cold like wild dogs and cats."

"It's kind of complicated," added Penny.

"I see..." mused the fox, "That must be why my parents taught me to stay away from humans as much as possible."

Blythe smiled a bit because she knew how complex humans were and how much they really were territorial about their homes and businesses. It was something too complex for even her to truly explain to her little pet friends. However she didn't really have the time to just go in and explain everything to them right then.

"Say, what's wrong?"

"I... I... just miss my momma," sniffed the fox.

"You poor dear."

"I didn't ask for your pity!" she snapped back.

"Still I feel sorry that you were taken from someone you loved," said Zoe.

"So where's your pack?"

"I'm old enough that I don't need my parents any more. One day, you'd leave your parents and live on your own as well. That's just the way nature works."

"Still I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Momma must be worrying about me."

"Whatever it takes," said Minka, "Blythe will get you back home as soon as you feel well."

"How can you take her word so easily?"

"Because that's just the kind of human she is."

"I'd rather live by my own wits," sniffed the fox.

"Well I for one just couldn't imagine life apart from the human pack," replied Zoe.

"What would you do if your human turned on you? How would you survive if she chased you away?"

"That would NEVER happen!" snapped Zoe.

The force of her convictions made Blythe blink in surprise.

"So... is that hedgehog going to stay away from me all day?"

"Oh he's a bit skittish," replied Pepper, "I'm sure he'll warm up to you one of these days."

"If you ever stop teasing him," added Zoe.

"But it's fun to play with him after he's curled up into a ball," said the fox, "Besides, it's not like the lizard or the mongoose are any more open to being around me than he is."

"Boys will be boys after all."

"But they can be brave when they have to," said Penny in their defense.

"And Vinnie hasn't lost his tail," added Minka, "so you must not be that threatening to him."

"Hey!" called Vinnie from the other side of the room.

"Oh look at the time!" said Zoe, "It's about time for our afternoon treats!"

Blythe glanced up at the clock in the front and realized she was right.

"The human... Blythe was it?" asked the fox, "She gives you treats _every day_?"

"Sure," said Zoe, "She gives us food, water, treats, love, affection, grooming... Like clockwork."

"Maybe being around humans... isn't as bad as I thought..."

Blythe went towards the storage room for the pet's afternoon treats.


	4. Chapter 4

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Four: Acts of Honesty

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe continued to monitor the pets and the fox through the rest of the afternoon. She marvelled at how well the fox could hide using the places in the room whenever a human got to close to the animal's playroom. Even Miss Twombly suspected nothing when she dusted down the whole room (even while Russel acted rather nervous and kept looking around for the fox himself). But still the time passed and soon it was time to close up the shop for the day. Since Blythe lived above the shop, she could always close up when Miss Twombly left for the day so she could spend some quality time alone with the pets. She stopped at the doorway when she heard some of the pets talking.

"Wow," said Penny Ling, "You're really good at hiding."

"We have to," replied the fox, "It might have been fun as a cub, but we always have to stay hidden from humans, bears and leopards. While humans yell and throw things, bears and leopards... they're out to kill us foxes."

"Why?"

"Because... they see us as their inferiors. Competition. When a bear or leopard makes a kill, a good fox will come in while they're sleeping and steal some of their meat before they can eat it all."

"Why?"

"We're wild animals. Being close to humans help keep us safe from the larger predators, but we can't just live on the human food from the metal boxes or small animals in the human territories."

"So you're torn between two worlds then?"

"I suppose you could look at it that way. Some foxes only live in the wild and they call themselves 'pure'. Other foxes live deep in the human territories and call themselves 'practical'. My parents just want what's best for us, and that's to keep one paw in both sides."

"Any pandas where you live?"

"No... other than the zoo."

"You've been to the zoo?" asked Penny in obvious curiosity.

"Yes, they have metal boxes just like many of the other human places," she replied evenly, "and they have some of the strangest things to eat there I've seen yet."

"They have a lot of animals at the zoo, don't they?"

"Yes. But the animals there... they don't seem to like it," she answered slowly.

"How come?"

"I've spoken to some when we slip in after the crowd of humans leave for the day. The ones that stay there at night have bad eyes and are not inclined to look beyond cages. It's really not hard to avoid them. But... the animals... many of them have told me that they don't like living in small areas with cages around them. They don't have enough room to roam and romp... and run like they want to."

"Don't their humans take them out for walks?"

"No, if the humans take one of them away... many of them never come back."

"That's awful," whined Penny.

"So they just walk around and lay around waiting for humans to bring them their daily food. They have nothing to amuse themselves but each other and looking at humans during the day. It's like... they have nothing to live for but waiting for the next day to come... I could never live like that."

"I don't think any of us could," said Zoe.

"But aren't they pets like you?"

"Of course those aren't _pets_ ," she sniffed, "We have humans to love and take care of us every day. I can go outside when I want to. We can even sneak out when we feel like it and see other parts of the land around us."

When Blythe stepped towards the doorway, she heard a slight noise as she heard Pepper say, "Aw, it's just Blythe. You don't have to hide from her." She stepped in to see that the fox had vanished.

"So what have you been talking about?" she asked feigning ignorance.

"We were just talking about zoo animals," said Penny.

"What about them?"

"Oh, the fox here was saying how the animals in the zoo... seemed sad about how small their living spaces are."

"Well... the animals are much safer in a zoo than in the wild. There aren't predators, hunters, storms or those other things wild animals have to put up with," replied Blythe more slowly.

"But they don't have humans to love them like we do!"

"They're wild animals at heart," she mused, "Many of them might hurt humans even when they are treated as pets. They're... they're just too dangerous to be treated the way I treat you."

"I guess so," she sighed, "but I'm still not sure that's all that fair to keep them like that."

"The problem is zoo raised animals wouldn't survive in the wild. They just don't know how to live wild and it would take a long time to teach them how. A lot of them are just too old to change their ways, so they have to be kept in zoos until they... pass away. I suppose some of them are moved to preserves away from zoos. They have a lot more space in their enclosures and it's more like nature... but there just aren't enough of those compared to the number of zoos in the world."

"I suppose my family back in China," she replied, "They don't have much trouble living in a zoo. It feels like they're pretty happy living like that. But then they don't always stay in their habitat." The last part was said with a grin.

The fox looked on curiously.

"Well that's another tale for another time," sighed Blythe, "I need to take the dumbwaiter up to my room for the night. The shop is closed and it's time for me to go up to my room for my dinner." She started walking towards the small door that covered the dumbwaiter 'elevator box'.

"Wait!" called Russel, "You are't going to leave that fox down here with us are you?!"

"Why not?" she asked as she looked back.

"She might gobble one of us up during the night!" he cried on the verge of panic. He curled up into a ball of spikes.

"He is not going to get a wink of sleep with that fox around," said Sunil.

"Then let me go back to the park," said the fox, "I'm used to living in a place like that."

"No!" said Blythe forcefully, "You're far too hurt to go back!"

"They don't want me here," said the fox as she looked at the pets, "I can tell they don't trust me."

"Well... you can sleep under my bed!" offered Blythe, "If you don't mind the stuffed animals, I'm sure Dad won't see you under there! I promise it will be totally safe!"

"Blythe!" said Vinnie, "Are you sure about that?! Who'll keep you safe?!"

"I believe that the fox will not to do anything to me when I'm asleep because I trust her."

"You'd really do that for me?" asked the fox in dismay.

"That's our Blythe," said Penny.

So when Blythe resumed walking, the fox followed.


	5. Chapter 5

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Five: Acts of Courage

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe came up to her room sharing the dumbwaiter with the fox. It seemed like an awkward moment at least for the fox. After all, she was all but in Blythe's lap all the way up. But fortunately, it didn't last long.

"So this is your den?" asked the fox as they entered the room.

"Yes," she replied, "My father has his own place. Together, we share this apartment."

"Where does your mother stay?"

Blythe looked away and paused before she answered, "She doesn't live here any more."

"What happened?" asked the fox curiously.

"It's... not something... I want to talk about," she replied awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm so..."

"Hey Dad!" she called, "I'm back from work! I'll get on dinner real soon!"

"Okay dear!" he called back, "Did your day go well?!"

"Yes it did!"

"By the way!" he added, "Be careful with your TV this evening! There's supposed to be a thunderstorm!"

"Okay!" she called back as she approached the door. Then she looked back and said, "Why don't you get comfortable under the bed. I promise I'll bring you a snack later."

The fox nodded as she slipped under the bed. Then Blythe left the room. Time passed as she waited for Blyther to return. In the distance, she could hear the approaching sound of thunder. Soon the storm would be upon them. She didn't like the sound of thunder. After a while, she could hear the patter of rain against the walls.

The last time there was thunder in the sky, she hid in her den with her parents. They stayed with her and made she it couldn't hurt her. But now she was all alone. It frightened her. She was scared to be alone again.

Finally the door opened as she heard, "Sorry it took so long. I managed to sneak you some polish beef sausage that I made us for dinner." A plate was slipped under the comforter that laid around of the side of the bed, and a wonderful meat smell wafted to the fox's nose. She was all to happy to crawl over and devour the sliced meat.

"Well I have to start early tomorrow," called Blythe softly, "I'm going to bed early. G'night Miss Fox."

She crawled to the wall and poked her head out from under the bed just a little. Blythe's feet were at the edge of the bed. She could see her from the knees down doing something she could never understand about humans. Shedding their outer skins and somehow changing them. They even had the power to make some of their pets change appearances as well. While some pets didn't like it, most either didn't care or actually liked it.

Then she saw the human climb onto the bed and vanish. So she pulled her head back under the bed. She tried to curl up and fall asleep, but the room almost shook from thunder that must have been right outside the window. Then there was another. And another. She was so scared that she began to whimper. The sound kept her quite awake.

Then the loudest thunderclap of all suddenly came and she yelped in fear before she even knew it. Blythe looked under the edge of the bed which looked funny because she was upside down. Her hair had fallen to the floor all around her.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" she asked in concern.

"The sky noise scares me," replied the fox with a tremor in her voice.

"The thunder?" she asked.

The fox nodded.

"Did your mom and dad stay with you to keep you safe?"

She nodded again.

"Well I might not be your mom and dad," she replied, "but you can curl up with me. I promise I'll keep you safe."

The fox blinked.

"Really," she said.

So the fox crawled nervously over to her. Her hands reached under the bed to pick her up and pull her up under the covers with her. Now that they were together, the fox could tell that the human was down to her un-furry state. She pulled the fox against her stomach, wrapping her arms about her chest as her thighs were pulled up to almost enclose the fox. Then she tucked in her head until she was completely under the covers with her.

A few minutes passed as the fox calmed down. It really did feel safe when the human was protecting her so. The noise slowly faded as the storm passed overhead. Blythe was tired and soon asleep herself. The fox felt so safe that she fell asleep in spite of the thunder.

"Wake up, my vixen," called a soft voice.

The fox awoke to find she was back in her den curled up in the legs of her mother. She looked up into her mother's golden eyes hopefully.

"Mommy?!" she asked, "I'm so glad to be home! That dream of being away from you was so... scary!"

"You aren't home just yet," replied mom.

"I miss you so mommy!" she whined back.

"The human will keep you safe until you get home," replied the mother softly, "Trust her and she'll do well by you."

"But why does she want to help me?!" asked the fox in borderline distress.

"That's just... the kind of human she is."

"So... am I dreaming this?"

"Yes," she said as she stood, "I am sharing my dream with you. To let you know your father and I wait for the time that you shall come home." Her eyes glowed with a bright golden light as her nine tails unfolded. "But one day soon, you will have to repay your debt to the human. That is the way of our kind."

"But I don't want to leave you again!" she whined.

"Soon you would have had to leave us anyways, sweet cub," she said softly, "and no matter where you go, we shall be there with you in your dreams."

"Please wait for me!" she cried just before she woke up.

The fox awoke cradled by Blythe, so she stuck her head up a bit and licked the end of her nose. She stirred, but she didn't wake up from that. So the fox returned to sleep in comfort and quiet.


	6. Chapter 6

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Six: Acts of Awkward

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe slowly awoke laying on her side as she was clutching the fix to her chest like some long lost teddy bear. She stretched out her legs and back as she tried to wake up, throwing her head back on the pillow in the process. The air was split by her morning yawn as her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," she muttered to the fox as she sat up.

"I love you momma," replied the fox in a sleepy voice.

Blythe blushed slightly as she turned her legs over the edge of the bed. ' _She called me momma,_ ' she thought. Standing, she was only half aware that she was still using both arms to hold the vixen against her chest.

"Why are you..." began the fox.

But the door burst open as Mr. Baxter said, "Honey, i'm taking an extended flight across the Pacific to..."

"DAD!" squealed Blythe, "Knock before you come into a woman's room! I'm not presentable yet!"

"Oh, you're not a woman," he chuckled, "You're my daughter." Then he paused before he said, "Why are you sleeping with a fox?!"

"It's not a fox!" she blurt out before she paused.

"Well what is... it?"

"It's... a _rare Korean fox hound_!" she said as she mentally face-palmed. She thought she wouldn't resort to making stuff up like that.

"Why..."

"They were... bred to look like foxes because... uh... they were worshipped as divine spirits by the ancient Koreans!" She could have sworn that Youngmee had said something about Koreans having a deep respect for the cunning and wisdom of foxes.

"Oh... That makes sense."

"DAD!" she said as she changed the subject, "Get out of a girl's bedroom! How would you feel if I barged in your bedroom while you were!.. in this state!"

"Well you were much cuter when you still slept in your PJs honey," he said as he looked at the parts of her not covered by the fox. She was just beginning to bloom as a woman and her profile was starting to show it. He wondered how long before he was going to have to start screening her potential boy friends when they came calling.

" **DADDY!** " she hollered.

"Okay okay," he said as he started to back out, "I'll speak to you down there..." He suddenly blurt out, "at the kitchen table!" The door closed behind him.

Blythe growled under her breath.

"What's wrong?" asked the fox as she looked around, "Is there an intruder?..."

"No," she replied curtly, "I swear Dad won't admit that I'm growing up now and it's not appropriate to just come barging in my room _like this_ anymore."

"Like what?"

"When... I'm not dressed," she replied.

"You humans are strange," mused the fox with a sigh, "No wonder mother warned me about... your kind."

"You miss her, don't you?"

"I do," said the fox briefly, "but she came to me in a dream and told me I'd see her again... with your help."

"That's funny," she replied, "I dream about being with my mother too. She tells me that everything is going to turn out right for me... somehow."

"Are you planning to hold me up all day?!" asked the fox with mild annoyance.

"Oh, sorry!" she said as she put the fox down.

Turning to look at her, she said, "I don't know how or why you humans find such importance in changing your fur..."

"Oh that's not fur," said Blythe quickly, "It's called clothing and we aren't born with any."

"So you were born... like that?"

"Well yes I... EEK!" she said before she suddenly clamped one hand across her chest and the other between her legs.

The fox blinked.

"Wait," she said as she relaxed and lowered her arms, "What am I worried about? You're a fox and a girl." Then she giggled awkwardly for several seconds as she moved to her clothing drawer.

"Humans..." muttered the fox as she dressed.

Then she paused looking back at the fox as she said, "That's odd. I'd swear your eyes are more... golden now."

"Well both my parents have golden eyes," she replied.

"What a coincidence. Just wait here while I feed my Dad, listen to what he wanted to say and get him on his way to the airport," she said as she walked towards the door, "I promise I'll bring back something nice to eat."

The fox nodded as she walked out and closed the door behind her. Then she went to the window and looked out. She could see the clouds breaking up as the morning light slowly crept over the horizon. The smell of rain was slowly fading from the wind as well. She could smell outside because the window wasn't exactly air tight at the bottom. Her tail slowly waved behind her as she waited for the human to return.

As she watched the sun appear, she felt a strange power growing within. Something her mother told her she would feel some day under special circumstances. She never quite understood what her mother was trying to tell her.

"Well I made you some bacon and eggs..." said Blythe as she opened the door, "Whoa!"

The fox turned quickly to look at her as she rubbed her eyes with her free hand. The other hand held a plate with something that smelled good to the fox's quivering nose.

"That was strange," she said as she looked at the fox again.

"What is strange?"

"I must have still been half awake," she muttered quickly, "You looked like you had another tail."

"But we..."

"But that's impossible!" interrupted Blythe, "I'm sure I would have noticed two tails long before now!"

The fox let it go because the plate of food set before her was suddenly much more interesting. She was soon wolfing down the eggs and bacon as fast as she could.

"But you're obviously just a normal fox with one tail."

The fox continued to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Seven: A Fox in the span style="text-decoration: line-through;"Henhouse/span Pet Shop

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe took the vixen down to the shop level once she was done dressing for the day. It was no surprise that the seven regulars were already waiting for her to appear. But still Russel curled up into a hyperventilating ball at the sight of the fox.

"It's okay Russel," said Blythe as she tried to comfort him, "Nothing bad happened. The fox didn't try to eat me. I swear."

"Yuck," said the fox, "Mommy said humans are very poor food sources and should never be eaten... even if they're already dead and stuff..."

"ALREADY DEAD?!" he replied in a panic.

"I don't think you're helping," said Blythe to the fox sharply.

"So sorry," she replied with a bow, "The human allowed me to sleep with her all night to keep me safe from the sky noises. I could never hurt someone who has guarded me so."

"You slept with her?!" asked Zoe, "She's never let any of us sleep with her!"

"Well you were never being hidden in my room during a thunderstorm," replied Blythe somewhat defensively.

"I don't like thunderstorms either," she replied.

"Well... I comfort you all while I'm here," she said back.

"Come on," said Pepper, "I know she isn't trying to slight any of us in any way. It's not like she can take a skunk like me to sleep with her. Or Russel. I don't think the rest of us would know how to handle being so close to a human all night. We understand there's limits to what we can expect of Blythe."

"Thanks Pepper."

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble with your friends there human," said the fox as she looked down.

"No!" she protested, "It's no big deal!"

"Even when your father caught us together and you had to lie about me being a rare dog?" asked the fox slyly.

"Caught you together?" asked Minka.

"It's nothing really!" blurted out Blythe as she turned a bit red in the cheeks.

"The father seems to be unwelcome in her room while she's changing furs," muttered the fox, "I don't think I'll ever fully understand how they think."

Blythe just laughed nervously because animals couldn't just understand the human concept of modesty.

"Besides," said Minka, "It's not like Blythe hasn't snuck us up to her room for other reasons."

"Like showing her wonderful new designs," said Zoe quickly.

The fox blinked as she looked around.

"Oh yes," said Pepper, "Blythe has made wonderful outfits for all of us. Even Russel."

"Hey!" protested Russel.

"Well it is just a little challenge to make outfits for a spiny guy like you," admitted Blythe.

"I'm not difficult," he sniffed, "I... just have extra personality!"

The other broke out laughing.

"Well I need to get to work in the front," said Blythe as she walked away, "Just... call me if you need anything. And don't let anyone see the fox if they come back here."

"I'm very good at avoiding humans," said the fox as she quickly hid herself.

"Okay then..." she said as she went out to the front half of the store.

"Hey," said Minka to the fox, "What are we going to call you?"

"I don't care what you want to call me," sniffed the fox.

"Well what does your mother call you?"

"I'm not old enough for a name," she replied, "She just calls me Her Little Vixen for now. I shall earn a name once I'm old enough to have one."

"So we'll just call you Petite Renarde," said Zoe, "Everything sounds better in French."

"As you wish," said Renarde.


	8. Chapter 8

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Eight: Hard Biskits

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

"Look," said Zoe to Russel, "The only way you're going to overcome your fear of foxes..."

"Is to never come near one!" he blurt out.

"Is to touch the fox and prove she isn't out to eat you," she continued after his outburst.

"After you!" he protested.

"Well fine then," she sniffed as she walked boldly up to Renarde, "I'll just show you."

The fox blinked as Zoe sniffed her nose, muzzle and cheeks quite closely. Then she gave a small lick to her nose.

"Now you're creeping me out," said the fox as she reared her head.

"Don't tell me you parents never did that," she replied.

"Well of course they did. They're family."

"And none of the pet dogs over in Korea ever did that to you?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well once or twice," she replied, "But I was a kit then... I didn't know better." Then under her breath, she added, "and they weren't sniffing my face either."

"Oh... well... that's something else," said Zoe with a slight blush.

"Then one of the male pups started licking my..."

Zoe cleared her throat loudly before she said, "We... don't need to know any more about that."

"Right," said Russel.

"But you can see that we're getting along just fine," continued Zoe, "Just because she's wild and I'm not doesn't make us enemies. We both want food, shelter and a little friendship."

"Well my kind tends to live by themselves until we're ready to mate," replied the fox, "and then we mate for life. Otherwise a male keeps his own territory and only allows cubs he's made from his mates to live there until they're old enough to live on their own."

"How does that work?" asked Penny, "Wouldn't he have to fight all the time?"

"No," she replied, "There's normally enough prey to feed more than a few foxes, but that's not the case with vixens. As long as they aren't seen or threaten the ruler of a territory, there's almost no fighting. On the other hand, males tend to be quite possessive of vixens in his territory."

"So what happens when there's too many male foxes?" asked Minka.

"The smaller and weaker ones move out to find territories in less desirable areas and hope that he can draw a vixen or two to live under his protection."

"So that's how foxes expand their habitats," mused Zoe.

"And if the population falls for some reason," she added, "They tend to fall back to their most valuable feeding areas."

"So what about cities?" asked Minka.

"While they aren't choice territories," replied Renarde, "They are always reliable. So there will always be some of my kind taking shelter in and around human cities."

Then they heard some noise up front. Customers had come into the shop.

"Can I help you?" asked Blythe.

"We would totally like to buy out the Littlest Pet Shop," said a woman.

"I can't help you with that since I'm not the owner," she replied, "and I don't know when she'll return."

"You can like either sell it to us," she answered, "or we'll like totally have the City condemn the place. Then we can buy it up even cheaper."

"Well that's not nice!" protested Blythe.

"Business is not about being nice," she replied.

"There's something wrong here," said Renarde, "That woman... doesn't sound like a nice person."

"How can you tell?" asked Zoe.

"I don't know exactly how," she replied, "but my mother noticed early on that I had a sense of who was a good human and who was a bad one. It's helped me more than once."

"What are you going to do?" asked Zoe. When there was no reply, she looked around to see the fox was gone. Vanished. "Where did she go?" she asked no one in particular.

"I didn't see her hide," commented Minka.

"Me neither," said everypet else.

"Besides," said Blythe, "The Littlest Pet Shop doesn't have any outstanding complaints or violations against us. There's no way the City would close us down."

"That can be changed," she replied.

" _Brittany. This plan won't work,_ " said the other, " _It's time we go back home._ "

"Of course it will work," she replied, "It's totally brilliant."

"Brittany Biskit? Whitney?" asked Blythe, "Is that you?"

"Like it totally isn't!" she protested.

" _If we don't leave now,_ " said Whitney, " _I'll have to tell father about all the bad things we've done today._ "

"That's not fair!" replied Brittany, "You did... stuff too!" Then there was a pause before she said, "Hey! Let go of my arm!"

" _Sorry about this,_ " she said as the pets heard someone being dragged out the door.

"That... was weird," said Blythe aloud, "Whitney sounded a bit strange right now."

"That's right," said Zoe, "Something did sound off about Whitney."

The pets paused to look at each other.

"Have the bad humans left yet?" asked the fox who seemed to reappear from nowhere.

"Uh yeah," replied Minka, "They just left."

"Good," she replied, "I don't like having to deal with bad humans."


	9. Chapter 9

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Nine: Fishy Dreams

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

The remainder of the day passed without incident, but then it came time to close the shop for the day. Blythe was getting used to letting Miss Twombly leave first and managed to close up everything herself. By then, she thought that all of the little pets had also been picked up until she went into the back to collect the fox for the night. She found then that Zoe was also still there. It was also Friday and most of the pets wouldn't be around the shop over the weekend.

"Didn't someone come to get you, Zoe?" she asked.

"No," she replied, "John and Clarissa are taking a few days to go on a trip and decided to leave me here over the weekend. After all, they trust you more than they trust some pet hotel."

"Oh," she sighed, "It would have been nice if someone told _me_ about that."

"What?" asked Zoe, "Didn't Miss Twombly tell you?"

"Uh no she didn't," she replied.

"Well I was hoping I could... uh..." said the violet dog as she paused.

"You don't mind sharing my space with a fox?" asked Blythe as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well... that is to say..."

"Sure!" said the fox, "I don't mind!" She leaned a little closer to Zoe and added, "Besides, you've more cool than the others in my eyes."

"Thanks," said Zoe with a light blush.

"Well come on then," replied Blythe as she gestured to the dumbwaiter, "I hope you two don't mind canned tuna for dinner tonight."

"That's fine with me," said Zoe as she followed, "Come along Renarde."

"Well, if Blythe likes it," replied the fox, "I'm sure I'll like it."

"Renarde?" asked Blythe.

"Petite Renarde," said Zoe as she turned her nose up, "I gave her that name myself."

The fox nodded as she followed. So the three of them went up to Blythe's bedroom together. From her room, she went to the kitchen and poured some bottled water into two small bowls for her guests.

"Why does this water taste different?" asked the fox.

"Well this is heavily purified water from a mountain spring," replied Blythe, "Some fancy pants place in France I think."

The she began fixing herself tuna salad (a simple recipe consisting of two cans of tuna packed in water, a full cup of Crafted Mayonnaise and a couple of tablespoons of sweet relish). While she handled that, she opened two more cans of tuna and set them down before the dog and the fox.

"Heh," said Zoe as she began eating, "Who says there's something wrong with cat food?"

"Cat food?" asked Renarde.

Blythe giggled before she said, "This is actually human food. It's just a coincidence that it's canned in the same way as we can wet cat food."

"Why is the smell so powerful?" she asked as she sniffed.

"Because it's fish," said Zoe.

"Oh, you should smell what a just opened tin of anchovies smells like," added Blythe as she carried her dinner over to the table with a package of saltine crackers. She glanced back as she saw her two guests eating from their cans. As long as the lid was cleanly removed, she didn't think that would hurt either of them.

"Oh, this is yummy," said the fox, "It also tastes like something from back home."

"Well Youngmee told me once about how Grilled Tuna is a big deal in many Korean Restaurants."

"Yes," she replied, "but something aromatic seems to be missing."

"Well in this country," said Blythe as she ate her tuna salad and crackers, "It's just canned tuna. There no garlic and it's not grilled."

"Oh, I see," she said as she resumed eating.

"It's funny how my humans pay more for my food," mused Zoe, "and still it doesn't taste much better than what I get from Zoe and the Littlest Pet Shop."

She giggled before she said, "I suppose it would sound sappy if I said 'The secret ingredient is love'."

Zoe giggled but the fox just cocked her head to one side.

"Well, that's because Zoe's owners love her too," she explained to the fox.

"Oh..." she replied, "Do you think all of the little pets have humans that truly love them?"

Blythe nodded. After she was done eating, cleaned up and disposed of the empty cans, she went to the living room to watch some late night television with the dog and fox in tow. After she sat and turned on the TV, Zoe curled up in her lap while the fox lay across her shoulders like a mink fur stoal. It felt a little funny at first because the fox was allowing the human to use her stomach as a pillow.

After a few Comedy Central shows, Blythe was falling asleep faster than she knew. Her eyes were closed as she tilted her head forward slightly. The fox and dog nodded of a good hour or so earlier.

"And then the President says, 'That wasn't a dog, it was the Secretary of the Interior!'" **bad-doomp-skish!**canned laughter ensues**

"Oh I don't get it," said Zoe. Something sounded different about her voice, so Blythe opened her eyes to find Zoe was laying across her lap, but something was really off. She almost instantly realized that Zoe had become some kind of anime-style anthropomorphic dog girl! She was about three quarters human and one quarter Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

"What da what?!" she asked as she realized that Zoe was just only wearing a beret and collar as before, but it looked completely different now that she was mostly human. Her skin was a lighter shade of violet, but her breasts were clearly those of a more mature woman.

Then she realized that the burden on her shoulder was also more human judging by the humanoid arms on one side of her and the humanoid legs on the other. Blythe jumped to her feet so fast that Zoe tumbled to the floor and she heard Renarde fall to the couch with a thud.

"This is totally whack!" she said as she spun to face the fox. She was now about the same ratio of human to Korean fox as Zoe, but she now had golden skin, shining golden eyes and THREE tails!

"What's wrong?" asked Renarde.

"Everything!" she blurt back, "This ain't supposed to be an anime, you know!"

"Anime?"

"Oh, it's one of those Japanese cartoons," replied Zoe as she shifted to sitting on the floor with her legs turned to the sides and her arms between her legs palms down on the floor.

Renarde turned to sit on the couch as Zoe was sitting on the floor. Now a tail was sticking out each side as the last one rested up against her back.

"Funny," said the fox, "I've had dreams about what it's like to be human."

"Me too!" said the spaniel.

"Wait!" said Blythe, "How can my dreams have dreams?!"

"My momma told me that when beings are in love, they can sometimes share dreams if they are truly close."

"So we're having a group dream?" asked Zoe.

"That's the only thing that makes sense to me."

"Well I guess I'm just going to have to go with it," she answered as stood and made Zoe sit down on the couch besides the fox-girl.

"Well... ah..." said Blythe as she suddenly found the dog-girl on one side and the fox-girl on the other. She blanched when they both started licking her cheeks.

"Just remember I'm no one's pet," purred the fox-girl.

Blythe awoke in a cold sweat as she noticed both the dog and fox stirring. So she turned off the TV, took one under each arm and took them back to her bedroom.

"Remember I'm..." said the fox.

"No one's pet," finished Blythe.

"Why do I get the feeling I already said that?"

"I remember hearing that too!" said Zoe.

"It must have been a shared dream!"

"You said that too!"

So Blythe undressed and slipped under the covers. Then the dog and fox slipped under the covers, laying alongside Blythe with Zoe in the bend in Blythe's knees and the fox cuddling in her arms. Soon they were all asleep once more.


	10. Chapter 10

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Ten: Clean Break

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe awoke in the morning along with Zoe and Renarde. She strolled to the bathroom followed by her two guests. The fox seemed rather fascinated with the shower in her bathroom. Especially once Blythe turned it on to get the water warm.

"How do you get it to rain in that little room?" she asked.

"Oh, that's just a shower," replied Blythe, "It's not actually raining..." She paused to think before she said, "It's the city water supply. Kind of like a spring that I can control."

"What do you use it for?"

"Well mostly I use the water to clean my body," she replied as she checked the water temperature.

"Do you... shower?" asked the fox as she glanced at the spaniel.

"No," she replied, "I usually get the tub."

"What's a tub?"

"Well when I use the water to fill the bottom area here," she said as she pointed at the tub part, "then it's just a different way to clean one's self. A bath is more... leisurely. It's meant to take more time."

"It's not much of a pleasure for me," muttered Zoe.

"When momma wants me clean, she just licks," replied Renarde.

"That's how dogs normally do it," added Zoe, "but humans... are different."

"Yeah," said Blythe, "We stopped licking to clean ourselves... a long long time ago." She paused before she added, "It was for that reason that we invented soap."

"I don't like soap," she replied, "It makes me feel gross and sticky until it's washed out."

"But don't you feel so clean when it's gone?"

Zoe nodded.

"That's because the soap binds with the dirt and then they both get washed away," she replied cheerfully.

"Oh, I see."

Blythe made sure that towels were ready before she stepped into the shower and began cleaning herself. Zoe and Renarde were still able to see her clearly through the glass door even though it did get a bit steamy inside.

"If this is fast," said the fox as Blythe used the body soap and shampoo to fully cleanse herself, "I'd hate to see how long a bath takes."

"It's less than five minutes," replied Blythe, "Don't be so impatient."

"Minutes?"

"It's a human thing," said Zoe quietly. She couldn't be heard in the shower because of the running water.

"Oh..." she replied, "So when you dreamed of being human, how did it feel?"

"Different," she answered, "My balance felt all wrong like I wasn't meant to walk on all fours. I guess I'm used to humans doing that, but I have no idea how they do it so well."

"It must be those things called hands," said the fox, "They're so different than their feet."

"Hands look like they're fun," she replied, "Humans can do so many things with them."

"I noticed."

"But there's other things I like about humans," she said as she glanced at the steamy shower door.

"What's that?"

"It's just... humans do whatever they want. Go wherever they want. They can eat three, four or even five times every day. Other than treats, I only eat once a day."

"We just eat when we're hungry and food is available," replied the fox, "Sometimes we eat more than once a day because of the dumpsters, but usually we only eat once or twice every week. We have to eat what we can and as much as we can because the food will be taken by something else if we don't. Sometimes I eat until I can hardly walk."

"I've never eaten that much at once," she replied.

"Normally momma says we should only eat as much as we must. Otherwise, dogs, humans or something worse will be able to catch us... and that's never good."

Zoe nodded.

"And some of that human food... It sometimes makes me feel... not so good."

"Me too."

About then, the water stopped. A moment later, the door opened and they watched Blythe pull the towel into the shower area. The fox watched her dry herself with fascination, but Zoe was towel dried often and saw nothing special in it. Then she reached out and got another towel. While the first was mainly for drying her body, the second was mostly to dry her hair. Then she stepped out wearing the first towel about her body and the second about her head.

"I'm hungry," she said to no one special, "Let's see what I can make for breakfast." She walked off out the door and towards the kitchen area. Zoe and Renarde followed in tow. "You know, it's a nice day to take you down to the park." But when the fox flinched, she added, "The part away from traps."

"Won't a fox be problems around humans?" asked Zoe.

"Not if she's wearing one of the suits I made for you," she replied cheerfully.

"Oh yeah," she said, "Wild animals can't wear clothing so they'll assume she's an exotic dog of some kind."

"Ah," said the fox.

"I think I have just the suit too," said Blythe thoughtfully.

"The red one with black trim and belt?" asked Zoe.

"Precisely!" gushed Blythe, "I think that will go with the fox's colors even better than it did with yours!"

"Ah yes. Purple and blue are more my colors."

She walked into the kitchen and began gathering things. The fox knew some by sight and some by smell, but even then there was some things she just couldn't. Two things she knew well were eggs and bacon. Another she smelled in passing was something called milk.

"What'cha making?" asked the fox as she sat at Blythe's feet.

"Bacon, eggs and pancakes," she replied as she began setting up the frying pan.

"Bacon and eggs are yummy," said Zoe.

The fox nodded as she said, "Blythe makes them very well."

"Oh, I'm not really that good," she replied. They couldn't see her face directly, but the fox noticed a slight change in the color of her cheeks as she said that. A few minutes later, she began carrying plates of food from the stove over to the kitchen table.

"It must be nice to get to eat first," said the fox.

"Well the alphas always get to eat first," replied Zoe.

"It's not that," said Blythe, "The food is still hot. Too hot for you. I don't want to see either of you burn your mouth, so I'm just letting your food cool a bit first."

"Humans seem to have a greater tolerance for that kind of thing."

"I suppose we do," she said as she started eating.

A few minutes later, she went back to the stove to retrieve a few bowls. When she set them down before Zoe and Renarde, they could tell that the bacon, eggs and pancakes were all mixed together in bite sized pieces so they both began devouring their share. The fox was eating much faster than the prim and proper Zoe.

"Don't eat so fast," said Zoe, "You enjoy the taste more if you eat slower."

The fox blinked before she slowed down. After a few minutes, Blythe stood and said, "Well I'm getting dressed now. I can get your clothes ready from my... uh..."

"Designer collection," said Zoe.

"Well, I wouldn't call it that."

"Don't be so modest," she said, "Your designs are great. I'm sure that one day, you'll make it big."

"I hope so," answered Blythe, "But I also love working at the Littlest Pet Shop. I know Miss Twombly... she can't afford another employee to help out. So my time for designs..."

The fox listened as her voice trailed off. She watched as the human walked away towards her bedroom, but she was too interested in eating to follow.


	11. Chapter 11

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Eleven: Park Me

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe got dressed before she went to her wardrobe of pet clothes. By then Zoe and Renarde finished eating and were curious enough to go see what she was picking out for them. She laid them out in two piles on the side of her bed.

"So if I wear clothes, the humans won't know I'm wild?" asked the fox.

"That's right," replied the spaniel.

"Zoe," said Blythe without turning, "Why don't I dress you first so Renarde can see it's no big deal."

"Sure!" she replied as she zipped up to the bed.

Blythe picked her up and the fox couldn't see her clearly with the human's body in the way. But the sounds she heard from Zoe indicated that she was enjoying whatever was happening to her. When she hopped off the bed, she was dressed in a dark blue sweater and poodle skirt that partly covered her tail. She was also wearing matching shoes with stockings over her back legs. The garter straps vanished somewhere under her skirt. Her regular hat had be replaced with a similar beret, but one that matched the color of the outfit.

"Oh Blythe!" she gushed, "I love it! It makes me feel... très chic!"

"Now for you," she said as she picked up the fox, "I was thinking of something more in bright Earth tones." The fox growled lightly as she was placed on the bed. "I promise it's okay," she said, "It won't hurt a bit." Renarde looked over the bright green and brown outfit as Blythe described it. "I thought this green would work well because it's the same color as a clover," she said.

Renarde glanced at Zoe who said, "Three-leaf clovers. It's supposed to be lucky. An Irish thing."

"It goes well with the skirt because it's a similar tone of brown," she continued.

"Looks like mud," muttered the fox.

"Or tree bark," she said defensively.

"It's so big," she observed.

"Well it's going to go down almost to the ground," she said, "It goes with the flared pant legs going over your front legs. That way, the bandages won't be so noticeable."

"So it is like hiding in plain sight."

"No no no!" protested Zoe, "It's so everyone sees you and thinks how fashionable you are!"

"I thought the point was not to draw attention to myself."

"Oh, I'm sure more people will be looking at Zoe's more colorful outfit," replied Blythe as she slipped the sweater over the fox's head and maneuvered her bandaged legs through the leg holes. This caused the vixen to whimper. "Oh, did that hurt?!" she asked in alarm.

"Just a little," she replied.

Then she slipped the skirt from her back legs, lifting one leg at a time and then pulling her tail through the slit. She next cinched down a belt about the waist to keep it in place.

"Huh," huffed the fox, "That's a little tight!"

"Sorry!" she blurt out as she loosened a bit.

Then she slipped the front leg covers on and used cords to hold them in place by tying them together above the shoulders, but underneath the sweater.

"We're almost done!" she said with a smile.

"This feels... awkward," mused the fox.

"But darling," gushed Zoe, "you look FABULOUS!"

"That's good... right?"

Blythe nodded. Then she took out a pair of small dog collars. She placed the purple one around Zoe's neck and tried to put the black one around Renarde's neck before she backed off.

"What's that thing?" she asked.

"It's a collar," replied Blythe, "The law... requires such things for dogs... and you're pretending to be a dog."

She reluctantly let Blythe place the collar about her neck.

Then she took out a pair of leashes.

"What are those?!" asked the fox as she backed up again.

"It's a human law that dogs have to be leashed on the streets," sighed Blythe, "I don't want to get in trouble or have you grabbed by Animal Control."

"What's an animal control?!"

"They... enforce the laws," she said awkwardly, "Among other things, they capture strays and cage them until their owners come to collect them. Even then, they'll probably have to pay a fine to get their pets back."

"I don't like the looks of that!"

"Oh, it just means we have to stay close to Blythe until we get to the park," said Zoe comfortingly.

"I didn't need one before!" she said defensively.

"Because you were in Blythe's handbag," said the spaniel, "You weren't free to run around."

"Oh..."

So Blythe showed the fox it was okay by putting the leash on Zoe first. Then she consented to being leashed herself. After that, they set off to the park. With Zoe singing...

 _Zoe_ : "Please try not to be so sad

because a leash is not so bad!

They're just to keep the human near

as you pull on the leash to steer!

It's to let your human know

where you really want to go!"

 _Zoe and Blythe_ : "Leash song! Leash song!

If you know just sing along!"

 _Zoe_ : "So let us walk on the double,

the leash keeping us outta trouble!

There's others on their leashes too

and we could meet quite a few!

But when it's time to get down and play,

the leash is removed and taken away!"

 _Zoe and Blythe_ : "Leash song! Leash song!

If you know just sing along!"

 _Zoe_ : "But when the sun is going down,

don't turn your smile into a frown!

It may take time to get used to one,

but soon you will be having fun!

Treat a leash like your friend!

It will protect you in the end!"

 _Zoe and Blythe_ : "Leash song! Leash song!

If you know just sing along!"

"Well," said the fox, "that happened."

"What can I say," said Blythe, "It just happens in this city."

"Don't be modest," said Zoe, "We can randomly break out in song anywhere and anytime!"

"I don't get humans," muttered Renarde.

"Sometimes," replied Blythe, "I don't either."

By the time they finished singing and the walking montage, they had come to the park.

"Now as long as we stick to the paths," she said, "We should stay away from any more of those illegal traps."

The fox shuddered at the mention of them. She slipped behind Blythe as two human girls with miniature poodles walked out of the park and right in their direction. Blythe stopped as they approached.

"Those clothes!" gushed the blonde, "They're so très chic!"

"We simply have to know where you bought them!" gushed the brunette.

"I... uh..." she said awkwardly.

"Just tell them!" barked Zoe.

"I designed and made them myself!" she blurt out.

"Amazing!" she replied, "I must have your business card!"

"I don't have a card right now," she replied, "but you can contact me through the Littlest Pet Shop."

"Oh I just have to have some custom clothes made!" said the blonde.

"Me too!" said the other.

"Thank you," replied Blythe, "But... don't you want to know..."

"I'm sure we can afford whatever your price is!"

"Alright," she said, "I'm sure I can show you several more outfits at Littlest Pet Shop anytime this weekend."

"Fabulous!" they said as one. The two girls smiled broadly as they walked away.

"Too bad those outfits are wasted on those mutts," muttered one poodle.

"I'm no mutt!" called back Zoe and Renarde as one.

As she turned back to the park entrance, someone said, "Blythe, do you have a fox on a leash?"

"No, it's a..." she said before she turned to see Youngmee, "Actually, it is a Korean fox."

"What?!" she asked, "Where did you get that? Those are rare and they shouldn't be outside of Korea!"

"Long story short," replied Blythe, "She was stolen from her family, shipped to the states, but escaped her truck only to be caught in a leg trap out here in the park. That's where the pets and I found her."

"So you talked a wild fox into acting like a pet?"

"I'm no pet!" barked the fox.

"She... uh... says she's no pet," said Blythe as Youngmee couldn't speak to animals, "but I promised her I'd find a way to get her back home and reunited with her parents."

"Well I think I know just the people who can make that happen," said Youngmee.


	12. Chapter 12

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Twelve: End of the Beginning

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

"You know someone who can help?" asked Blythe.

"Yes," she replied, "An animal rescue agency near Seoul that takes animals stolen from Korea and returns them to their native habitats."

"Won't they want to know how she got here?" she asked a bit nervous.

"No, that's not really their job," replied Youngmee, "All they do is make sure an animal has been put back to the natural instincts before they're released. If they come injured, they'll also make sure that they're healthy and healed as well."

"That means making them wary of humans, doesn't it?"

"Well yes, but they don't do it in any cruel or mean sort of way."

"Feh," said Renarde, "I can fake that easy. It's not like I haven't had practice being wary."

Youngmee blinked until Blythe said, "Oh, she said she's already wary of humans, so that's no big deal."

"Good," she replied, "All I have to do is arrange for her to be picked up. It's best that I set up a drop at a neutral location. It wouldn't look good if you or the Littlest Pet Shop were involved in this anymore."

"How so?"

"Because exotic pet shops are among some of the worst offenders when it comes to generating demand for the theft of wild animals," she replied, "A number of them have faced criminal prosecution for their involvement."

"You're right! I don't want Miss Twombly to be taken to court especially since she's done nothing wrong!"

"But you'll have to explain to the fox that she'll have to be in cages for a little while before they'll take her home," she replied, "It's part of the whole becoming wary of humans deal. It's also to keep both the workers safe from the animals as well as protecting the animals from other humans."

"I'll suffer that if it will get me back to my mom and dad," replied Renarde.

Zoe walked up and rubbed cheeks with Renarde as she said, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, my friend," replied the fox as she nuzzled the spaniel back.

"I'd like to think I'm your friend too," sniffed Blythe.

"You're the kindest human I've ever met," she said as she walked over and rubbed her nose into the open palm of Blythe's hand, "and I'll miss you."

Blythe looked at Youngmee and asked, "How long til they pick her up?"

"Oh probably not more than two business days," she replied, "They're very prompt because they have a number of branch offices spread out over the world."

So Youngmee called the agency, and soon the fox was picked up by them in a large cat carrier. Blythe and Youngmee watched from a bush some distance away as the pick up van drove away.

"You did the right thing," said Youngmee.

"I know," replied Blythe.

...

one year later

...

Blythe was tending to the pets in the back when she heard Miss Twombly having a conversation in the front part of the store. It was clearly not a regular customer.

"I don't know what gave you the idea we're hiring right now," said Miss Twombly.

"I have been informed that you only have one employee here," she replied, "and surely she must be overworked to keep this shop in such good shape."

"But I really cannot afford full time help."

"I only wish to help out part time," she replied, "So I can help defer the costs of living here. I am willing to work for a training wage as I also would like to have the work experience."

"Are you sure? I don't want to have you thinking I'm taking advantage of you. Besides, why do you want to work in a pet shop like this?"

"I can tell that you treat your pets with true care and concern," she replied, "Unlike those who work at Largest Ever Pet Shop. They treat their pets like a product instead of a pet."

"By the way dearie," she answered, "I don't even know your name yet."

"It is Cheonsa Yeou," she replied.

Blythe risked peeking into the front to see a girl standing by the shop owner. She had jet black hair cut to the depth of her chin, and held back in one corner with a silver clip. Her lips were thin and stained bright red, but what struck Blythe most about her was her pale golden eyes. She was also dressed in a light brown and black suit that looked a lot like the uniform of a school girl. It consisted of a white shirt under a brown blouse, and that was under a black vest. She had a thin brown belt that held up her knee length black skirt. She had knee length white stockings and black pumps on her feet.

"Are you planning to stay here long?"

"Oh, just for until my education in this country is complete," she replied, "I doubt it shall be more than two years."

She thought for a moment before she replied, "Can you start working tomorrow?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well," she said as she shook Cheonsa's hand, "Consider yourself employed my dear."

She smiled broadly as she shook the owner's hand.

"Oh Blythe," she called, "Can I see you out front a moment?!"

Blythe stepped back to pretend she hadn't overheard as she replied, "Just a second. I'm almost done with the water bowls back here!" Then she came back into the front.

"This is my regular employee..."

"Miss Blythe Baxter," said Cheonsa.

"How did you know that?" asked Blythe.

"I have heard your name around town," she replied, "How you have a way with animals. That you are kind and gentle even to wild animals. I've even heard you've done some design work for animal clothing."

"Oh... that's nothing special," answered Blythe.

"Don't be so modest," said Anna Twombly as she turned to Cheonsa, "If it wasn't for Miss Baxter's design skills, this shop would have gone out of business more than a year ago."

"But I don't really need..."

"Oh pish posh!" she replied, "I know that you've been too busy to study design the last several months and I'm sure that some more free time would really help you with your dreams."

"I don't know," she mused, "Some of the pets can be kinda fussy about who..."

But Cheonsa simply walked by Blythe into the back room. It was almost shocking to Blythe how all of the pets just ran right up to her as she pet each one in turn. Even Russel got a little tickle under his chin.

"It looks like they're going to get along just fine," said Anna.

"That's weird," said Zoe, "but I have the feeling we've met somewhere before."

"It must not have been here," said Vinny, "I've never seen her around this area."

"The shop opens at eight," said Anna to the new employee.

"Then I shall be here at 7:30!" she replied.

"Wow," mused Blythe, "Youngmee said something about strong work ethics."

Cheonsa nodded.

"Are you here for schooling?" asked Anna.

"Yes, but I shall wait until the summer is over and I have saved up some money," she replied. Then she stood and made her way towards the front door as she said, "I shall see you both tomorrow morning!"

"I'll be here to open up," said Blythe, "Miss Twombly comes in about nine or so!"

There was no response as the young woman left with only the opening and closing of the door to be heard.

"I don't know why," mused Blythe, "but I got a vague feeling we've met before too." Then she shook her head and replied, "But we've never met. I must be imagining things."


	13. Chapter 13

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Thirteen: Blythe's New Coworker

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe went to the front door of the shop to see that Cheonsa was already there waiting for her. She had to admire the promptness of the new employee, but found it odd that she was wearing the exact same clothing she had been wearing the day before. Blythe didn't comment as she didn't really feel it was her place to.

"Good morning, Miss Baxter," she said as the front door was opened for her.

Then the door was closed behind her and locked again.

"Oh please," she replied, "Everyone calls me Blythe."

"Very well Miss Blythe."

"No," she said, "Just Blythe."

She nodded. Blythe gestured for her to follow her to the back room. Once there, she showed the new employee where the supply closet was where aprons, cleaning supplies and other things were kept. She also showed her where the bags of pet food were stored for ease of resupplying the bins the pets normal fed off of. Even though most of the food looked like brown pellets, Blythe assured her that each bag was meant for different species and how getting the wrong food in the wrong bin could make one of them sick. All the while, Cheonsa listened and nodded.

Then she went to the front of the store to prepare the register and a few other things before she would formally open the shop doors for business. She could hear the new employee working hard in the back even as she took a moment now and them to give some attention to the little pets back there. It didn't seem like any of them were lacking for attention.

Finally, the time came for the shop to open, so she walked to the front door, turned the "Closed" sign to "Open", and unlocked the front door. It wasn't unusual that no one was waiting for the shop to open on an ordinary business day like a Tuesday. It would also be another hour before Miss Twombly appeared to begin her business day.

In fact, there was no one who came in during the entire first half hour, so she took out her sketchbook and began working on some design ideas she had in mind for new outfits for Zoe. She knew the spaniel was a fashion diva and that her outfits always had to have the most attention to detail.

"Hmm..." she mused, "Turquoise chips or silver studs?" She mused a moment before she decided, "Definitely the turquoise goes better with her fur."

Glancing up at the clock, she noticed it was about ten minutes before Miss Twombly strolled in. So she paused in her art efforts, closed up her sketch book and went to the back to check on Cheonsa. She noticed that she wasn't in the room with the pets.

"How's it going?" she asked cheerfully.

"A little strange," said Zoe.

"Strange?" she asked as she blinked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well Minka and I glanced into the storeroom while Cheonsa was getting ready to restock the food bins, and we noticed that she was eating some of the food herself. I don't think she realized we were watching her."

"Eating the pet food?" she asked curiously.

Minka nodded.

"I admit that's kinda weird," she replied, "but I don't think it's anything that important. It's not like she's going to eat us out of business or anything." She then made a nervous laugh.

"We'll see about that," replied Zoe.

"Oh Miss Blythe," said Cheonsa who seemed to appear from almost nowhere, "It is almost time for Miss Twombly to arrive, so I should make sure that all the glass in the shop front is clean and sparkling for her arrival." She was holding a cloth in one hand and a bottle of window cleaner in the other.

"That's a good idea," she replied.

Cheonsa was already almost to the front windows before Blythe had even finished her comment. In fact, she had made the whole of the glass in the storefront almost spotless before the owner even appeared down the street. The store windows were cleaned at a rate that she herself had never managed to do on her own.

"She does things quickly and efficiently," she said to herself.

Blythe was left blinking as Cheonsa stood several feet away from the door and waited for her arrival. She stood at attention as if she was waiting to be inspected. Then Anna walked in to be confronted by her new employee waiting for her in a very deep bow. Deep enough that her head was below her hips. She gave a slight bow in return.

"Good morning, my dear," she said as she noticed Cheonsa.

"Good morning, honorable Miss Twombly," she replied.

She waited for a moment until she realized that the girl was not standing up again. Blythe blinked and watched. "You don't have to wait for my permission to stop bowing," she said at last.

Then she stood upright once more. "Thank you," she said, "Is there any task that I may perform for you?"

Anna said as she looked around, "Things appear to be in good order as they are now. Just make sure that the little pets are staying active and happy."

She nodded before she rushed into the back once more.

"Quite the work ethic she has, doesn't she?" asked Blythe.

"I believe so," replied Anna, "and very respectful to her elders. I think we're going to get along just fine."

"Well that's nice to hear."

Then she noticed Cheonsa looking about the corner at Miss Twombly working. She walked over and asked, "Is there something wrong with Miss Twombly?"

"Oh no," she replied as she bowed, "I couldn't help but wonder if she's the same Miss Anna Twombly who is the master of Kung Fu Knitting?"

"Well yeah, she is," replied Blythe as she blinked.

"Perhaps if I perform well enough," she gushed, "I could become one of her students."

"I don't think she really has any students right now," she replied, "but why don't you go ask..."

"Oh, I am surely not worthy of such an honor. Not at this time," she pleaded as she bowed again, "Please do not mention this to her."

"Uh... okay..."

So she went to her "office" in the corner to tend to her books while Blythe returned to doodling in her design book. There really wasn't anything else for her to do that wasn't already done by Cheonsa. In fact, the entire store was spotless and totally organized by noon. Every time a customer left the store, she came out to make sure anything they touched was restored to it's proper place and that it wasn't dirtied in any way.

Anna called the two of them before her.

"Well, feel free to take your thirty minute lunch break," she said.

"Thank you, honorable owner," said Cheonsa as she bowed.

"Thanks Anna," said Blythe.

The two of them walked out and turned separate directions as they walked the street. Blythe walked down past the next store front, but for some reason looked back over her shoulder. She noticed Cheonsa turn into an alley just past the oriental restaurant just down the street.

' _Hmm,_ ' she thought as she went on her way, ' _I wonder where she's going? Oh well, it's not really any of my business._ ' Then she remembered the little thing about her eating pet food, and something just gnawed at the back of her mind. So she went against her first impulse, turned around and followed her. Glancing around the side of the restaurant, she noticed the young lady fishing around the dumpsters behind the building. ' _Oh my,_ ' she thought, ' _She's eating pet food and looking for scraps from dumpsters?! Just how bad off is she?!_ ' With her head buried in the side opening, it wasn't terribly hard for Blythe to sneak up on her. ' _I don't even know where she lives. She never filled out an application to work at the Littlest Pet Shop. What if she's homeless?! That does explain why she came to work this morning in the exact same clothing. Think of something clever to say..._ '

"You know," mused Blythe, "The food's usually much better if you order it from the menu."

Cheonsa jumped as she heard her head bang into something metal inside, and she popped out with fat noodles and sauce hanging from her mouth.

"Are you... homeless?"

"Oh Miss Baxter!" she said as she swallowed hard, "I am so sorry!" She began to bow repeatedly and rapidly.

"It's okay," she replied, "You don't have to bow to me so much."

"But much to my shame, I have not been able to afford a residence yet."

"And by the looks of things, you don't have enough money to eat properly either."

"I'm sorry!" she said as she bowed again.

"There's only one thing to do..."

Cheonsa looked very very nervous.

"You're just going to have to live in my apartment with me until you have enough money to live and eat on your own!" said Blythe. Then she paused before she added, "I don't think Dad is going to mind... too much."

"Oh no!" she blurt out, "I surely cannot impose on you like that!"

"Consider it done and done!" she replied as she came over and hugged her.

It was a moment before Blythe realized the girl was weeping and shuddering as they hugged.

"You are too kind to me," she sobbed.

"That's not true," she replied, "and while I'm sure it's not as good as oriental dumpster food, let me get you a Coney Dog so you can have a real lunch with me."

"I am not worthy," she cried.

"Hey! You're worthy because I say you are! Let's not have so much negativity here, okay?!"

She nodded as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and Blythe started walking her back to the street.


	14. Chapter 14

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Fourteen: Walking the Pets

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

It seemed all too soon that Blythe had to go back to the Shop after she bought lunch for both herself and Cheonsa. It made her giggle to listen to both the way she gushed over how good real beef franks were as well as her almost constantly thanking her for purchasing lunch for her.

' _I have to introduce her to Youngmee,_ ' she thought, ' _She's a real hoot._ '

On the way back to the shop, they passed a second hand clothing store. She paused at the window long enough that Cheonsa had to turn around and come back.

"I can buy you some of this stuff so you can live in more than one set of clothes," she said, "and before you start telling me you don't deserve this, consider it a loan until you can pay me back, okay?"

Cheonsa opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, but then quickly closed it again. She simply nodded instead before they started making their way back.

"We're back Anna!" called Blythe as she walked through the door.

She looked up from her paperwork as she said, "Well you're two minutes late..."

"It is my fault!" said Cheonsa as she deeply bowed, "Please do not punish Miss Baxter!"

Anna blinked, but Blythe leaned close and whispered, "We just tease each other. I poke at the fact she comes in an hour after the store opens and she... picks at me when I come back from lunch a couple of minutes late."

"Well, try not to let it happen again," said Anna as she smiled.

"Besides..." said Blythe as she thought, "Cheonsa is new in town and I knew I just had to let her try an honest to goodness Coney Dog!"

"That's very nice of you, Blythe," she replied, "I'm glad you're taking her under your wing and looking after her like that." Then she sighed slightly as she added as she looked at Cheonsa, "You can stop bowing to me now, my dear."

She popped back up as she replied, "Thank you, honorable Miss Twombly."

"So respectful..." she murmured as she returned to her books.

Blythe turned to Cheonsa as she said, "Would you help me take the pets to the park for exercise?"

"I would be honored," she said with a short bow.

Blythe smiled and bowed back. The two went to the back to begin leashing the little pets to take them out for a walk out to the park. They all came up to the two of them as they waited their turn. Blythe brought out the box of leashes and collars as Cheonsa looked through them. Zoe had walked up to the side of the box as she pulled out a green collar.

"Oh no," she said, "That will not do for me at all."

Without looking, she put the collar back and pulled out a brown one. This time, she took a sidelong look at Zoe as she looked between her and the collar.

"That's closer, but still that won't do with my fabulous hat."

So she put that one back and pulled out a violet one with silver studs.

"Ah! That's the one for me!" she said as she raised her head.

"Wow," said Minka from just behind, "Did she understand what you said?"

"I doubt it," she replied as the collar was carefully put around her neck, "She just obviously has some fashion sense."

"I guess so..."

"If she understands what we're saying," observed Russell, "She sure acts like she doesn't... well other than just now."

"There's something about her eyes. Those golden eyes," said Pepper, "Like I've seen them somewhere before."

"Not for me," said Vinnie.

"Me neither," said Sunil.

Soon enough, they were all ready to go. Blythe took half of them and Cheonsa took the rest. They were making their way down to the park negotiating the moderately crowded sidewalks. The lunchtime crowd was just beginning to vanish from the streets back to their homes and jobs.

A limo pulled up to a store across the street. Then the driver got out, went around to the sidewalk, and opened one of the back doors for the passengers to get out.

"Biskit alert," said Zoe as she looked across the street.

They looked across the street to see the Biskit twins getting out of their limo in front of a jewelry store.

"Look over there, Britney," said Whitney as she pointed, "I can see the hired help taking their mangy pets for a walk. Daddy would never make me stoop to such menial labor."

"Like totally," she replied.

"At least I like where I work!" retorted Blythe.

"She must be confused if she thinks we do anything like work," sniffed Britney.

"Work is honorable!" said Cheonsa.

"Honor?" she asked as she looked at her sister, "What's that?"

"Like I even know," replied Whitney.

"Then it obviously doesn't matter!" she laughed.

"Totally!"

"You should carry on with your business instead of engaging in pointless banter," said Cheonsa as her golden eyes flashed, "I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than pester your peers."

"We totally have better things to do with our time than pester out peers," said Britney as she took Whitney's arm. She was dragging her up the steps towards the front door as the limo driver blinked.

"Huh?" she asked as she was pulled along.

"Wow," said Blythe, "When did I become a peer?"

Cheonsa shrugged before she continued walking. Blythe caught up with her quickly enough. They soon came upon a well dressed man walking his pure breed poodle sire up the same sidewalk in the opposite direction.

"Hey there, ma chérie," said the poodle as he looked at Zoe waggling his eyebrows. Zoe on the other hand was not pulling on the leash that Cheonsa was holding. He was soon close enough to just about sniff her backside before he pulled the leash back.

"Jacque!" he scolded the dog, "Do not mess with mongrels! It is beneath you!"

"I'm a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel," sniffed Zoe.

"But she's a..." began Blythe.

"You sir must not be an expert on show dogs if you cannot tell a purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel when you see one," said Cheonsa with force Blythe had not heard her use before.

He looked down far enough to look over his designer sunglasses down at Zoe before he said, "My poofykins as won trophies, my dear."

"Well I've won trophies too!" said Zoe as she raised her head.

"As has Miss Zoe," Cheonsa replied, "which makes it rude of you to look down upon a dog clearly equal to your own poodle."

"I think you look great," said the poodle as he tried to get back closer to Zoe.

Zoe raised her head higher and smiled as she said, "I bet you say that to all of us gorgeous purebred dogs."

"Come Jacque!" he said as he tugged his leash, "We have more important things to do than... spend time messing with less important dogs." The dog looked back at Zoe longingly even as the owner half dragged him away.

Cheonsa responded by walking the other way.

"You must know your dogs," said Blythe as she caught up.

"I felt it was my duty to understand breeds before I began working at a prestigious pet shop," she replied.

"But how did you know Zoe has won show trophies?"

"I didn't," she said as she winked, "but she looks like a prize winning show dog."

Zoe raised her head higher as she smiled.

"That isn't going to go to her head," muttered Blythe.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing!" she replied quickly.

"Why do the dogs and cats get all the shows?" asked Minka, "Where's the monkey shows?"

"And the panda shows?" asked Penny Ling.

"And the gecko dance show?" asked Vinnie.

"I'm sure you'll all get your own pet shows," said Blythe before she looked at Cheonsa, "Which... is what I would tell them... if they asked me about getting their own pet shows!"

"It is most likely that the animals who have been domesticated the longest are the ones that get into breeding competitions and animal shows," noted Cheonsa.

"I should start a show for all the underappreciated pets!" said Blythe before she paused to add, "If I even strike it rich."

"That would be a great thing to do, Miss Baxter, but perhaps keeping your focus on design will help you get to the point where you could be wealthy enough to do so."

"Oh, right!" she said as she nervously rubbed the back of her head.

"Wow," said Minka, "I'd almost swear that Cheonsa understands what we're saying."

"Let's find out," replied Zoe as she looked up at her handler, "If you understand what I'm saying, then don't pet me."

Cheonsa leaned over and petted Zoe as she said, "Oh yes, you are a very good dog."

"Oh... I guess she doesn't," said Minka as if she were disappointed.


	15. Chapter 15

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Fifteen: Blythe's New Roommate

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

It seemed like only a short montage passed before the work day ended. Miss Twombly seemed rather pleased with Cheonsa's efforts and how well she kept the store neat, clean and in order. With the reduced workload, Blythe was able to get numerous things done with her design pad as well. Between the two employees, the pets received a considerable amount of affection to boot.

"Ah," said Anna, "Today felt very productive."

Blythe and Cheonsa nodded. They moved over to the door as they waited for Miss Twombly to leave for the day. The owner went for the door, but stopped just before she got to the new employee. She placed her arm about her shoulder making her look a bit nervous.

"Now my dear," she said soothingly, "While I like the respect you show me, I am ordering... no, telling you... that a short bow will suffice. You really don't have to wait for my permission to stop bowing. Understand?"

"Yes, honorable Miss Twombly," she replied as she continued to look straight ahead.

"Very good," she said as she stepped back, "I will see you both tomorrow then."

As she stepped towards the door once more, Cheonsa bowed and then stood up again. Anna smiled as she walked out. Then she stopped and looked back.

"Blythe," she said, "Why don't you show Cheonsa how to finish up with the register tapes and up close up the shop. That way, you can take turns doing it."

"Of course Anna," she replied as she gave Miss Twombly a quick bow of her own.

"I'm going to have to get used to so much respect," she muttered as she walked away.

"You know," said Blythe as she turned back, "It does feel like a bow is showing respect. Maybe I should do that more often myself." She glanced around and said, "Well let's make sure everything is in shape for tomorrow. I'm not expecting many more customers before the end of the day."

Cheonsa nodded.

Blythe took her sketch pad into the back room while Cheonsa cleaned up in the front. She opened the book and held it low enough for Zoe to look.

"What do you think?" she asked her in hushed tones.

"Oh, I think it's fabulous!" gushed the spaniel, "That is so me!"

"I'm glad you like it," she replied, "In about two days, it should be ready for fitting."

"I can't hardly wait!"

It seemed like hardly any time passed before Blythe was turning the sign to 'Closed' and tallying up the register for the day. Cheonsa looked over her shoulder eagerly as she performed her register duties. Blythe explained each process to her as she performed the task at hand. She then swept the register money into a bank deposit bag and explained how she was going to take it down to the bank for them to keep it safe. Once that was done, she walked out with Cheonsa before locking the front doors. They strolled down to the bank, walked in and made the usual deposit. Then they walked back to the Baxter's apartment above the pet shop.

' _It's weird taking the stairs up here instead of the dumbwaiter,_ ' thought Blythe, ' _I must be getting too used to coming up to my room that way._ '

When she got to her front door, she unlocked it and let both of them in. Then she took Cheonsa right to her room and let her in there. Going over to the dresser, she picked out a casual top and a light pair of sweatpants she could wear while her regular clothes were in the wash. Since the two of them were close to the same size, it wasn't hard for Blythe's clothing to fit Cheonsa quite well.

"Now you get a shower and make sure you're nice and clean for dinner," she said as she pat Cheonsa on the shoulder. She glanced at the clock as she added, "I believe Dad should be back from the airport in time for dinner, so I'll be in the kitchen working on that."

Cheonsa bowed before taking the clothes and heading to the bathroom. Then Blythe went to start cooking in the kitchen. She could hear the water softly running over the kitchen sounds even as she made boiled rice and strip steaks. It seemed like it wasn't very long before the shower stopped running.

"I hope she remembered to shampoo," mumbled Blythe to no one in particular.

The smell of beef was soon spreading throughout the kitchen area as the front door opened.

"Hey Blythe," said her father as he came in, "Dinner smells wonderful. I'm glad to see you again. That flight back from Hong Kong felt like it was going to last forever."

"Dinner should be ready in 5 minutes," she replied. If she wasn't so involved in fixing dinner, she might have noticed that her father had gone right by the kitchen without even stopping. Then she heard another door open and then quickly close again. She looked back to see her father come back with a wide-eyed stare on his face. He looked to be a bit in shock as if he had seen something totally unexpected. "Dad?" she asked.

"Honey," he replied, "Why is there a naked girl in our bathroom?"

"Oh," she said with a nervous laugh, "That's the new store employee: Cheonsa Yeou. Right now, she's homeless so... I'm letting her crash here until she can afford a proper place to live."

"Well this is... going to be interesting."

Blythe laughed nervously. Then she heard the bathroom door open once more as Cheonsa rushed to the kitchen doorway. She was wearing naught but a towel on her head and another about her torso.

"I am so sorry for startling you," she said as she bowed deeply, "You must be the honorable father of Miss Baxter."

"Uh..." he replied as he stared a little, "I am. But you don't need to apologize to me. I'm the one who barged in on you."

"You are the master of the household," she answered, "It is within your right to go anywhere you please in the house at any time. I was the one who was not showing proper respect."

"No harm, no foul," said Blythe quickly. Then she leaned over to whisper in her father's ear, "Tell her she can stop bowing or she won't stand up again."

"Huh?" he asked before he said, "Oh, you can stop bowing now."

She stood back up as if waiting for commands.

"Why don't you finish dressing in the bathroom," said Blythe, "Dinner's going to be ready soon and I made plenty."

As she began backing out of the room, the knot she tied in the towel came loose and it fell to the floor leaving Blythe and Roger to stare at her. Cheonsa blushed as she reached down to grab the towel and put it back in place. Then she rushed back into the bathroom as the door closed behind.

"Sorry I didn't tell you before," she said awkwardly, "I just found out today that she's homeless and hasn't been eating properly. She... just can't be left to the streets like that, Dad."

"That's okay," he replied, "Very kind of you in fact." Then he paused before adding, "I hope she doesn't take too long. The porcelain throne is calling out to me since I parked the car."

"Oh, I'm sure it won't take long," she answered, "Cheonsa Yeou tends to be very efficient."

"So that's your friend's name?" he asked, "Sounds Korean."

"She is."

"Well I'm sure we'll get along just fine," he mused as he smiled at Blythe.

Soon, she emerged from the bathroom dressed in what Blythe had given her and Roger quickly took her place in the bathroom. She in turn walked into the kitchen.

"You don't mind mild curry beef do you?" asked Blythe as she turned back to the stove.

"That sounds wonderful," she replied as she sat down, "That is pretty popular back home."

"I'm no chef," she said, "but I think I do alright for myself."

"If you have made it, Miss Baxter," she replied, "I'm sure it is more wonderful than I deserve."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but I'm really not that special. I'm certainly no better than you."

"Thank you," she replied.

They heard the toilet flush and soon, the shower was running once more.

"I guess Dad's getting cleaned up before dinner," noted Blythe as she turned back to Cheonsa, "So what are you planning to study while you're here?"

"I will be studying several courses," she replied.

"Oh that sounds interesting," said Blythe as she leaned against the stove.

"That and..." she said as her voice awkwardly trailed off into silence.

"What else?" she asked as she leaned a little closer.

"I am looking for my true love," she replied at last, "Someone I met last year."

"Oh," replied Blythe, "Does he know you're coming for him?"

"I... had no means of keeping in touch... so no."

"Well good luck with that," she said as she turned to stir the pots of rice and curry beef.

"I have been quite lucky so far," she said as she looked up at Blythe's back. "I hope that once we meet, I have the courage to speak of how I truly feel."

"Well that's important," replied Blythe, "Nothing will ever happen unless you tell them how you feel."

"But I am fearful that I will be rejected."

"No way," she said, "Someone would have to be nuts not to like someone like you."

Cheonsa smiled softly.


	16. Chapter 16

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Sixteen: Night Sweats

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

After dinner, Blythe took Cheonsa to her room to browse the web and talk about her designs before she went to bed. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so willing to spill her heart and soul to someone she hardly knew, or why she was so interested in talking pet fashion with her for hours. It was fascinating how Cheonsa was knowing about Korean fashion trends for humans as well as pets, and Blythe seemed inspired enough to try and add some of those elements to her new design ideas. Before she knew it, she was yawning her head off.

"Miss Baxter: It is now 10 PM. Perhaps it is time we went to sleep so that we may be fresh and ready for our duties coming tomorrow?"

"Huh?" she asked as she glanced at the computer's system clock, "I didn't realize it was so late. Talking to you is so... **yawn** fascinating."

"Then I shall sleep on the couch, Miss Baxter..."

"Oh no," she said quickly, "That's a bad idea."

"How so?" she asked as she quirked an eyebrow.

"My father... he kinda wanders around at night. He just might want to watch TV late night shows, and I'm sure it would come as a rude surprise to both of you... should he sit on you while he's half awake."

"Then there must be somewhere..."

"I'll put out a sleeping bag here on the floor," she replied with a grin as she pointed to a corner away from the main paths of her room, "One thing Dad doesn't do is come into my room, so we should both be fine. I don't really get up and move around at night... as long as you're not in the path to the bathroom."

"Thank you so much."

"Then after work tomorrow, I can take you out second hand clothes shopping."

"I would like that very much."

"Well," she said as she yawned again, "Time to brush my teeth and get ready for bed." She went to her drawers to fish out a set of pajamas before she walked to the bathroom. "This should only take a few moments," she said as she walked in and closed the door behind.

Cheonsa could hear the sounds of running water, brushing, gargling, spitting and dressing. She sat on the end of the bed as she waited before Blythe finally emerged changed.

She had a toothbrush in her hand that she offered as she said, "This is one of my spare toothbrushes... in case one gets lost or something. Feel free to use it as your own."

"Thank you," she replied as she bowed from the sitting position. Then she took the toothbrush from her hand and walked into the bathroom as Blythe laid out the sleeping bag for her. By then, Blythe was so tired that she just crawled into bed, pulled the sheets up to her neck and fell asleep within a couple of minutes.

Before she knew it, she was wide awake again. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she wondered what woke her up. Looking towards the bathroom door, she wondered how the bathroom was so bright by the way light was spilling out around the sides of the door. The door opened slowly as light flooded in, and she could see a dark silhouette outlined in the light. She realized something was strange almost immediately, and the ears were almost on the top of her head and triangular in their shape. Then there was the tails coming from the base of her spine. At first, Blythe thought there was two, but as they swayed back and forth, she realized there had to be in fact three tails.

" _I am your guardian spirit,_ " she said softly as she walked further into the room. The door closed behind until the light levels changed, so Blythe reached aside to turn on the bedstand lamp. Now that she could see her better, Blythe could now see the vulpine head, but she could also see the human female features clearly. She had moderate sized breasts, a somewhat narrow waist and comparatively broad hips.

"What da what?!" she asked in alarm, "Do I know you?!"

" _Yes, we've met before,_ " she answered, " _About a year ago._ "

"We've met?!" said Blythe as she suddenly remember the strange dream she had once, "Not while I was awake."

" _This is a shared dream,_ " she replied.

"The only thing I remember anything like this... was the fox I helped get back to Korea. A normal red fox."

Just then, there was a bang on her closet door. Her head snapped in that direction as the door suddenly opened and something purple fell into the room with them.

"How did I get here?!" asked an oddly familiar voice. In the lamplight, Blythe suddenly recognized the face as that of Zoe, but now she was as humanoid as the three tailed fox. "Hey!" she said as she looked at her hands, "I'm human again!" But what she wasn't apparently aware of was the fact she was also naked and also fairly human as far as her womanly bits were concerned. Then she glanced up and Blythe and the fox woman. "Petite Renarde!" she cried as she jumped to her feet, "I've missed you so much!" Rushing over to the end of the bed, she wrapped both arms about the fox woman's chest. The fox woman in turn hugged Zoe back.

" _I have missed you as well, Miss Zoe,_ " she replied as her nose nuzzled Zoe's cheek.

"Petite Renarde?!" asked Blythe in alarm, "How could that possibly be you?!"

"I don't know how I know it," said Zoe quickly, "I just... know."

"Okay okay," she said as her mind realed, "It's just a dream. It's just a dream. Any minute, I'll wake up and have myself a good laugh about all this."

" _We shall meet like this again. It won't take long now. I am more mature. More grown into my talents,_ " she said as her three tails waved behind her.

"The last time we had this strange dream, you only had two tails," noted Zoe.

" _The number of tails I have represent my power and control,_ " she replied, " _Until now, they have increased greatly because..._ " Pausing, she looked into Blythe's eyes as her golden eyes glowed. " _Because of you. Because of your kindness. Because of your love. If things go as they are, I shall soon grow my fourth tail._ " She crawled across the bed as she came up towards Blythe's face. " _All because of you,_ " she sighed as she leaned in to kiss Blythe on her cheek, and then lick it.

Then Zoe climbed up over the fox woman's back as she was grinning in a way Blythe found slightly weird. "Now that I have hands again, I know just what I want to do with them," she said quickly, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She held her hands open and waggled her fingers.

" _If you're thinking 'tickle her silly', then we are._ "

Blythe raised her hands to defend herself as the two lunged in, their hands reaching for her sides. "Two against one!" she protested, "That's not playing..." But by then, the tickle attack was in full force and she could only laugh out of control. She was pushed back against the bed as the dog and fox piled on top. It seemed like minutes passed as she laughed herself almost breathless. She closed her eyes as she shook and quivered.

"Miss Baxter?" asked a voice from everywhere, "Miss Baxter?"

Her eyes snapped open as she looked around for the source of the new voice. Suddenly the fox and dog vanished without a trace leaving her weak from laughing so hard. Then the lights went out. She found herself staring at a shadowy form leaning over her with only the hint that pale golden eyes were staring down on her.

"You seemed to have a troubling dream," noted Cheonsa.

For some reason she couldn't really grasp, she just lashed out with both arms and dragged her new roommate into a firm hug. It was so sudden that she pinned down the surprised girls arms in the process.

"Miss Baxter?! Are you well?!"

It was about then that Blythe realized that the one she was hugging was at the very least naked from the waist up. She could tell by the way her bare breasts were now mashed against her chest. The heat rose in her cheeks, but no how badly she wanted to let go of Cheonsa, her arms just weren't obeying her. So the hugged one went with it as she slowly embraced her back with a hug of her own.

"A dream," spluttered Blythe, "Just a dream."

"A dream can mean many things," she replied, "A message from loved ones via the gods. Memories of what we once had or what we may still have. Perhaps even tidings from the spirits. Simply return to sleep and most likely, you will dream of something different."

"My arms," she protested, "I can't let go of you."

"It will pass if you go back to sleep, Miss Baxter. I am not bothered by this in the least."

"After that crazy dream, I don't know if I can go back to sleep."

"Perhaps a little distraction will help," she said as she moved closer to Blythe's face.

"What kind of... mmmppphhh?!" she said just as Cheonsa engaged her in a mouth to mouth kiss. There lips were sealed together, but neither tongue crossed over past their teeth. Blythe closed her eyes as she suddenly felt totally relaxed. A calm feeling swept over her as she became very tired. She went back to sleep in less than a moment. Her arms continued to clutch at Cheonsa like she was some kind of teddy bear.


	17. Chapter 17

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Seventeen: Morning Rituals

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe woke up some time later as she slowly realized she was still hugging Cheonsa. She had fallen asleep with her head next to Cheonsa's as she could feel slow breathing and her heart beating through the contact of their bodies. She fully awoke with a little gasp as she released her grip.

' _Well this is all kinds of awkward,_ ' she thought, ' _but she feels so soft._ '

Her hands drifted over her back, shoulders and hips as she felt both her smooth skin and the firm muscles that lay just below. At the base of her spine, she felt a strange bump. But since she wasn't used to feeling up butts, she had no idea if it was normal or not. She realized that she couldn't even feel a trace of spaghetti straps anywhere on her backside let alone anything more substantial. The sunlight was spilling through a crack in the not quite closed drapes as well as the translucent material. She blinked as she looked at the way the light was casting the silhouettes of themselves and the beds against the far wall.

' _Maybe I'm still dreaming,_ ' she thought, ' _but there's no way that Cheonsa has tails._ '

Then the shadow changed to something she expect to see as Cheonsa suddenly kissed her on the cheek lightly and made a sound sort of like a purr, but not quite.

"Good morning Miss Baxter," she said softly into Blythe's ear, "Are you well?"

"Uh... yes," she stammered.

"And are you enjoying the feel of my buttocks?" she asked with a wink.

"What?!" blurt out Blythe as she blushed hard and pulled back her hands quickly, "I... I'm sorry!"

"There is nothing to be sorry about. I find your gentle touch to be... quite enjoyable."

Blythe felt if she blushed any harder, steam would shoot from her ears like some kind of corny cartoon. She looked around for a way out as she spied her clock. Sitting bolt upright, she said, "It's time to get ready for work!"

Cheonsa was so imbalanced by the maneuver that she rolled off the bed and landed on her keester.

Blythe looked over the side as she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I am only slightly startled," she replied as she looked back and smiled.

' _WAHHH!_ ' she thought as she looked Cheonsa over, ' _She IS buck naked!_ '

"Is something wrong, Miss Baxter?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Sooo..." she said slowly, "Do you... always sleep... _au naturel_?'

She nodded as she said, "Undergarments are always way overpriced, so I do without."

Blythe blinked as images of her sleeping naked in parks or alleys while men of dubious virtue were sneaking up on her made her shiver uncontrollably.

"Are you well?"

She shook her head before she answered, "When we buy you some second hand clothing, we really have to get you some basic underwear as well."

Cheonsa sat up as she asked, "Does the sight of my body not please you?"

' _Damn,_ ' she thought, ' _It does please me and that's the problem!_ ' But instead, she blurt out, "Oh, it's not for me! I don't want my poor dad to have a stroke or something seeing you naked in the morning!"

"I surely would not wish to ever cause stress for your honorable father," she said as she shifted onto her knees and then bowed to Blythe.

A thought of her Dad seeing Cheonsa walking by naked as blood gushed from his nose like some kind of hentai anime suddenly crossed her mind. One of those guilty pleasure things she remembered watching one night in Youngmee's room. Really, she was just watching them for the deep and complex plot...

"Well," said Cheonsa as she stood, "It is surely most efficient that I assist you in preparation for your morning." Before Blythe knew what happened, her sleeping shirt was gone soon followed by her pajama pants.

' _Those are fast hands!_ ' thought Blythe as she clamped one hand across her chest and another over her crotch. After all, she felt there was no need to wear bra and panties under her pajamas.

With a soft smile, Cheonsa swept her into her arms and began carrying her towards the bathroom.

' _WAH! This is going way too fast!_ '

"I often assisted honorable mother in her morning duties as well, so I am quite used to this," she said softly as Blythe was whisked from her bedroom to the bath area.

"You carried her into the bath?!"

"Heavens no," she giggled, "I carried grandmother to the bath. Mother could walk on her own."

"I can walk too..."

"It is most efficient to carry you as it saves time," she replied, "I have noticed that we are about 3 minutes and 22 seconds behind schedule, so there is some time to make up."

"Okay..." she said as her blush continued. ' _This may be tradition where she comes from, but I feel like a baby right now. But I'd hate to be rude and say something about it now..._ ' Then she said, "The bathroom is a little small for two. I can wait until you're done."

"Do not worry," replied Cheonsa with a grin, "When there are six sharing one bath, it always seems too small. But I have learned to maneuver in tight spaces. I shall not harm you nor is it likely that you shall have any accidents because of me."

' _Grrreeeaaat..._ '

Blythe was seated on the closed toilet while Cheonsa warmed up the shower and did a quick review of the supply of shower & bath goods kept around. Glancing over once in awhile, she set out a deep conditioning shampoo, a conditioner for dry hair, a body wash, a loofah sponge and a couple of other things. Then she leaned over and lifted Blythe's arm as she looked her over rather closely.

"It seems we do not have time for proper shaving," sighed Cheonsa, "but I believe you are adequate for today."

' _Oh thank goodness..._ '

Then she stepped back into the corner and waited. Blythe figured she was supposed to check the water temperature before she got in, so she stood up and stuck her hand in the falling water.

' _The water temp,_ ' she thought, ' _It's... it's... PERFECT!'_

She stepped into the shower with Cheonsa right behind. It all seemed like a bit of a blur in Blythe's memory before they were both squeaky clean and she stepped out of the hot shower feeling even more heat in her cheeks than she felt from the water. After all, the sponge and her roomies hands had pretty much touched just about every square inch of her body in their quest to get her clean. Having her fingers running through her hair as it was shampooed and rinsed was nothing like she had ever felt before. Unfortunately, she also felt a bit bad that she couldn't quite get to helping Cheonsa clean herself anywhere near as much as her roomie had helped her to get clean.

"I arranged our work clothes before I went to bed," said the young lady as she pointed to the small baskets where their work clothes had been gathered neatly and folded.

"You're so efficient," said Blythe as she reached for her panties.

"I have trained for years in order to be a good wife," she said as she took the panties before Blythe could reach them and somehow put them on almost too fast for Blythe's eyes to follow.

"But... I'm a girl..." she stammered.

"The principles are very much the same," she replied with a grin.

"Wow... I had no idea..." said Blythe as her petite bra was quickly placed around her growing chest and secured with hardly any discomfort.

"By assisting you in showering," said Cheonsa evenly, "I believe I have reduced our tardiness by one minute and twelve seconds! By making breakfast for both of us, I can reduce out tardiness by an additional twenty two seconds."

"Wow... that's... great..."

"I have a few other ideas that will ensure we get to work with at least fifteen seconds to spare, but I fear we can only give your father a brief kiss on the cheek before we leave."

"Oh... I'm sure he'll live with the disappointment," said Blyther as she was quickly and efficiently dressed by the nimble hands of Cheonsa.

"Yes, I truly hate to displease anyone of higher status and prestige like that."

' _Wow, she really does respect her elders in just about every way I can imagine._ '

"It will take but a moment for me to dress," said Cheonsa as she reached for her own basket.

"I'm sure we can save several seconds if I help you as much as you helped me!" she said as she stepped forward to help Cheonsa get dressed as well.

"You have honored me so much with your kindness, great concern and such care."

"Well I'm sure you'll think of me once in awhile when you find that person you lost track of a year ago and marry them, right?" asked Blythe cheerfully.

"Yes, they are not too far from here even now," she said with a smile, "and I shall confess my true feelings to them... very soon."

"I'm sure the lucky guy who gets to marry you is going to get quite the catch!" she replied as she gave Cheonsa a quick hug.

"I hope that they feel as good about this as you," as the hug was returned.


	18. Chapter 18

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Eighteen: Tall Tails

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

As Cheonsa had predicted, the two of them arrived in time to open the store with a couple of minutes to spare. Two minutes and twelve seconds to be precise. Still, there was no one waiting there for the store to open. The two women entered the shop after unlocking the door to begin quickly setting up for the proper opening of the store to the customers about twenty minutes later.

Cheonsa did most of the setup even though Blythe felt a bit bad about letting her do it. But still, it was hard to keep up with the frenzied pace that her new roommate had set for herself. She swept through the shop like a small tornado of efficiency.

By the time the store was ready to be opened for business, all of the regular little pets had been dropped off for another day of pet daycare. Zoe seemed to be particularly interesting into speaking with Blythe somewhat privately from the others, so she hung out behind the counter while she prepared the register for the day.

"Something bothering you?" asked Blythe as she scratched Zoe behind the ears.

"I had that strange dream again last night," she replied quietly.

"Which one was that?"

"The one... where I'm human," she said slowly as her tail wagged.

"What a coincidence," replied Blythe, "I had one like that too. You were there, and Petite Renarde was too..."

"And we both jumped you and tickled you until you cried..."

"How?!.. How did you know that?!" she asked back in mild shock.

"Renarde... She said it was a shared dream we had... So she must have had it too..."

"That's silly," said Blythe as she shook her head, "How can we share a dream when she's in Korea and she's been back there for... well... a year now? Why start sharing dreams after all that time?"

"I wish I knew," she replied, "but I just know it was her... and I was so happy to see her again."

"Funny, but I was really happy to see her again too."

A silent moment passed between them before Blythe spoke again.

"Well, I think your new outfit should be ready for fitting tomorrow."

"Oh that sounds so wonderful," yipped Zoe, "I'm sure anything you designed is going to be fabulous."

"Well thanks Zoe," she replied awkwardly.

There was another pause before Zoe added, "That new human... Cheonsa? She seems... so efficient."

"I know."

"It... well..." she said slowly.

"What's wrong? Is she not being nice to you?"

"Oh no!' she blurted out, "She's almost as nice as you are! But..."

"But what?"

"Sometimes she acts like she knows what we're saying... and then doesn't understand us at all."

"Perhaps she just has a high... empathy with animals?" suggested Blythe.

"Maybe... but after that incident... with the stuck up poodle owner... she said what I said almost as soon as I finished saying it... I could have sworn she understood everything I said."

"Well she said she studied pets before coming to work at the Littlest Pet Shop," replied Blythe, "and she only guessed that you were a prize winning show dog just because... of your looks and how you carry yourself."

"I mean, it would be kinda nice if she actually could speak to us the way that you do. That she might understand us the way that you do."

"I... guess so."

"Wishful thinking, I suppose."

Blythe nodded as she checked the clock, and then said, "Well I guess it's time to open. Why do you go in the back and see how the others are doing?"

Zoe nodded as she headed into the back. Going to the door, she looked out as she turned the sign from 'Closed' over to 'Open'. Then she blinked as she realized there was a customer waiting outside.

"Youngmee?" she asked as she opened the door, "Need something?"

"Oh, I came by because I ran out of the special dog shampoo for Nutmeg last night," replied Youngmee as she walked in.

"Well we have plenty in stock," she said as she looked back and noticed that Cheonsa was restocking all of the pet supply shelves even as Blythe mentioned it.

"Who might that be?" asked Youngmee as she saw the new girl for apparently the first time.

"Oh where are my manners?" she replied as she turned and said, "Cheonsa? Could you come here a moment? I have someone I'd like you to meet."

She stopped what she was doing to come over.

"Well this is Youngmee Song," said Blythe as she gestured towards her friend, "A dear friend of mine."

Cheonsa gave her a quick bow that Youngmee returned.

"And this is the new store employee, Cheonsa Yeou," she continued as she gestured towards Cheonsa.

For some reason, Youngmee seemed to be staring at Cheonsa.

"Is there something wrong?"

Youngmee shook her head as she replied, "Oh... It's nothing really. Nice to meet you."

"Dangsin eul mannaseo yeong-gwang ibnida," she replied evenly.

She blinked a second before she asked, "Dangsin-eun hangug ui eoneu bubun eseo inga?"

Cheonsa glanced at Blythe's confused look before she said, "I come from a small village between Gyo-Dong and the Seoraksan National Park."

"I see," she replied, "Have you moved to America permanently?"

"I am mainly here for an education, but I might stay here indefinitely..." said Cheonsa as she paused, but then continued to say, "if I can find someone I met around here a year or so ago."

"Well I work down at the Sweet Delights Shop. Perhaps we can talk more if you and Blythe stop by to visit."

"I would be honored," she answered, "Perhaps I can help you with you shampoo selection?"

"Oh... you heard?"

She nodded to Youngmee, so the two of them went back to the pet supply area while Blythe returned to the register. After a while, Youngmee returned with a couple of bottles of dog shampoo that she set on the counter while Blythe began ringing them up for her.

"I kinda noticed that you were staring at Cheonsa for some reason," remarked Blythe casually.

"Oh?" she replied, "Was I staring?" She blinked a few seconds before she continued, "It's just... those eyes."

"What about them?"

"Golden eyes are a very rare trait in the the Far East in general let alone South Korea," she mused.

"That rare?"

"Yes," she mused, "and when I saw them... I remembered a fairy tale." She looked down before she blurted out, "It's really kind of silly folk tale stuff."

"It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Well Grandmother used to tell us tales about women with golden eyes," she said as she looked out the window, "They were... not human."

"Not human?"

"Yes... Long ago, a young man was in the woods and came across a trapped fox. Out of the kindness of his heart, he set the fox free. The fox was a red fox with golden eyes. A year later, a beautiful young woman with golden eyes came to his village. The two fell in love almost immediately and they were soon married. He was almost delirious with happiness."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"One night, however, he came to bed to sleep with his wife, but from the light of the candle he used to see with, he saw... her shadow had tails. He cried in shock and she woke up, but even though the shadow tails vanished, she began weeping at his shocked expression and ran away from him naked into the woods."

"Oh my..."

"But he loved her and ran after her to apologize to her. For two days and nights, he hunted the woods for her until he came across a red fox. The fox had the same golden eyes, and had nine tails. But in his heart, he knew the fox was really the woman he loved. He begged the fox to come back with him because he loved her more than anything. Once convinced he was pouring his heart out to her, the fox changed back into his wife and the two returned home to be happily married for almost 100 years. But for the rest of their lives, he never saw her turn back into the nine tailed fox... she never turned back into the Kumiho."

"The Kumiho?"

"The folk name we call the nine tailed fox. In Japan, she is called the Kitsune, and in China, she is called the Huli Jing."

"Has a women ever helped a fox like that?" asked Blythe as she raised her eyebrows.

"Not that it ever made it into legends."

"So... are there any male Kumiho?"

"I have never heard of any," she replied, "but still it seems like some old story to get men to be kind to wild animals on the off chance they'll be rewarded by Karma with a lovely and loving wife. It's... really silly, isn't it?"

"Oh... I think it sounds sweet, but really... Cheonsa is no nine-tailed fox. In my dream, she said she was only up to three tails..."

"You saw her in a dream?!"

"Well... yeah..."

"When a Kumiho is young, they may have a few as three tails. As they grow older, more tails appear. They say that a tail can grow as quickly as one year, or take as long as a hundred years. Being in love with a human can make them mature much more quickly."

"So the Kumiho live for a very long time?"

Youngmee nodded. Then she added, "One of the recorded abilities of the Kumiho... is to share dreams with their parents, siblings... and the ones they love."

"Besides, if she had tails, I surely would have felt them when I felt up her butt..."

"Whuuut?!"

"Nothing!" she blurt out quickly, "She's homeless and wasn't eating well... so she's living with me until she can afford a place to live!"

"I see," replied Youngmee with a wink.

"Really," said Blythe as she blushed, "It was an accident! I grabbed her when I was half awake and just couldn't let go!" She gulped as she added, "So she was naked and spent the night sleeping on top of me." She continued as she said, "Then she helped me shower and dress this morning because... she wants to be a good wife to the man she wants to marry! I mean she's practically my live-in maid now."

"Are you sure the one she's looking for... is a man?"

"WHUUUT?!" she asked. Turning her head, she was relieved to see that Cheonsa was nowhere to be seen.

"Did she specifically tell you she was looking for a man she met one year ago?"

"Well d'uh. Obviously."

"Well if she lets you grab her while she's naked and fondle her buttocks, she must be sweet on you too."

Blythe suddenly blushed badly before she looked away.

"Oh, Blythe," she said quickly, "I'm teasing you."


	19. Chapter 19

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Nineteen: Zoe's Peril

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

After Youngmee left, Blythe returned to helping Cheonsa help set up the store for when Miss Twombly arrived for the day. Everything was in place and in order well before the shop owner appeared at the front door. The glass and floors all gleamed in anticipation of her impending arrival. While Blythe was bothered by the strange things that Youngmee told her, she didn't have the nerve to mention any of it around Cheonsa.

"Everything looks great," said Blythe as she looked about. The clock indicated less than five minutes until the owner walked into the Littlest Pet Shop for the day.

"Say," noted Cheonsa, "Have you seen Miss Zoe? I have not seen her around for a while."

"Why don't you go look around in case Miss Twombly shows up a little early."

"Very well," she replied as she went into the back room.

"I wonder how long Zoe is going to be out back?" asked Minka as she idly sat by Pepper.

"Hmm... I know that show poodle is a horndog," she replied, "but I don't know if I trust him. I certainly don't have much trust in that loudmouth owner of his."

"He sure seemed like he wanted to know Zoe better," chimed in Penny.

"It does seem strange that he would be out behind the shop on his own. I mean his owner did seem to be... rather possessive of his prize poodle."

"Yeah," she added, "I'd swear he was... jealous of Zoe and her pedigree."

Cheonsa gasp as she ran for the back door.

"I wonder what that was about?" asked Russel as he watched her leave the room for the back of the shop. The door was just on the other side of the store room against the shop's back wall.

"It was almost like she understood what we were saying... again," sighed Minka.

Then Cheonsa called out from the back of the shop, "I am having trouble locating Miss Zoe! You will have to open the door for Miss Twombly without me! Please tell her how sorry I am for not being here for her arrival!"

"Is something wrong?!" called Blythe back.

"I... think she's just playing Hide and Seek!" she replied, "I must step out back to be sure!"

"Okay, but try to make it quick! Miss Twombly will be here any minute now!"

Then the pets heard the back door open and close quietly. Minka rushed to look into storage to see that Cheonsa was not there anymore.

...

A few minutes earlier

...

Zoe's ears perked up as she said, "Is there a scratching sound at the back door?"

"Maybe you should go back there and look," replied Russel.

"Shouldn't we tell Blythe first?" asked Minka.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing worth bothering her about."

Zoe walked off towards the back door. The scratching was heard again.

"Who's out there?" she asked as she came closer.

"It is me, Jacque," said the show poodle she passed by on their walk the earlier day.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well I am here to see you, mon petit," he replied smoothly.

"You're out on the streets on your own?"

"What my owner doesn't know won't hurt me," he said with a sly tone.

"Well... I suppose I can come back there and visit," she replied, "but only for a little while. I don't think Blythe would approve of me seeing you like this."

"Is she... your owner?"

"Well no, but she does look after me during the day," she replied more slowly.

"Then surely seeing you for just a little while won't hurt anything, no?"

"Very well," she said, "There's a doggie door in the back I use to sneak out. I'll be with you in just a moment."

"I cannot hardly wait to see you again, ma chérie."

She slipped down the wall and out the back through the door clearly too small for any dog or cat much larger than her. Then she saw Jacque hanging out at the back door waiting for her. Zoe didn't like being behind the shop because of all of the dumpsters, garbage cans and other things from the shops in the alley as well as the stench they tended to make.

He rushed up to her to smell her behind which made her blush a bit. She didn't have much contact with many other dogs, so when a male took such interest in her, it took her a bit aback. Out of impulse, she sniffed his backside in return.

"Oh you smell so nice," he sighed with his nose under her tail.

"I... bet you say that... to all of us pretty show dogs," she replied awkwardly.

"True," he replied, "but I promise you that in your case, I am being totally sincere."

"But... you know I'm not ready to breed, right?"

"Oh, I want to be with you much more than just that," he replied smoothly.

"Really?" she asked as she looked away. Now she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

A shadow lunged at her from behind a dumpster, and the next thing she knew, she was inside a thick cloth sack that was dropped over her. In the process, her beret fell off and landed in the alley. She was scooped up before she knew it... and something in the bag was emitting a powerful smell. She tried to cry out, but a large arm clamped down around her as a hand clamped down on her muzzle through the cloth. Struggling wildly, the strange smell was making her sleepy.

"That anesthetic I soaked that sponge in will knock her out within seconds," gloated the human with Jacque. He was talking to Jacque even though he figured he couldn't really tell what he was saying.

"I am so sorry, ma chérie," said Jacque as Zoe quickly stopped struggling, "I had no idea this was his intent."

"We need to leave the area before anyone suspects," he said as he headed towards the street, "before anyone inside the shop suspects. This will show them not to make a fool out of me and my show dog."

A couple of minutes after he turned the corner, a mildly panicked Cheonsa rushed out into the back alley. First she saw Zoe's fallen beret. Then she sniffed the air and announced, "Those two again?! He better not have taken Miss Zoe or I shall surely make him pay!"

A flash of golden light happened, and suddenly Cheonsa was replaced with a golden eyed red fox. If she wasn't in such a hurry, she might have noticed that she had suddenly gone _from three tails to five_.

"I shall track you down, Miss Zoe!" she swore, "No matter what! Even if this costs me my job here at the Littlest Pet Shop! I'm supposed to protect you and I failed so badly!" She sniffed the air before she said, "The scent is too weak for me to track like this... I need a more powerful nose to handle this."

Another flash of golden light happened, and now the five-tailed fox was replaced with a fairly large bloodhound. Now with a super nose, she could start tracking Zoe.

"Ah, that stink," she growled as she thought, ' _I don't know exactly what that is, but it stinks suspiciously like a concoction I once saw humans used to knock out small animals. Miss Zoe must have been dognapped. I shall make them PAY!_ ' She dashed off towards the street as the back door opened.

"Cheonsa?!" asked Blythe as she watched the bloodhound running away, "What's going on?! Where's Zoe?!" She paused before she added, "Wah?! What's that stray dog doing back here?!" She yelled back through the open door, "Miss Twombly?! I think Zoe got out back! I'm really sorry, but I need to find her!" She didn't wait for a response before she ran off after the bloodhound. ' _I almost swear that bloodhound has something to do with Zoe's absence!_ '

As she got to he corner, she heard the barking dog go after a Porsche sports car. Much to her surprise, the driver gunned the engine making the wheels squeal as he drove off. Even though the bloodhound was vastly slower, it was still chasing after the car as it raced down the street.

' _I don't have time to get my scooter,_ ' she thought as she ran after the bloodhound, ' _I hope that other dog's nose is as good as they say it is!_ '

As the Porsche turned a corner, the dog turned into an alley as if it knew it was a shortcut. Blythe did her best to follow. Even with its stubby legs, the bloodhound was pretty fast and Blythe had trouble keeping up with it. But then they came to a wall blocking the alley, and she knew the dog couldn't get over it. The dog tried to climb the fence in vain.

"What's going on?!" she asked.

"A bad man grabbed Miss Zoe!" replied the now obviously female dog, "He had a show poodle with him! If I don't get over this fence now, they're going to get away with her!"

She should have asked the bloodhound how she knew Zoe, but that didn't seem important right then. Picking up the dog, she half climbed the fence to drop her a few feet to the other side.

Just then, the Porsche streaked by the end of the alley going towards the heart of the city.

"This won't work!" said the dog, "I NEED SPEED NOW!" A golden light flashed, and now the bloodhound was a champion greyhound. The new dog streaked off after the Porsche.

"What do what?!" asked Blythe as she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. It made her pause before she hopped the fence.

The greyhound turned the corner in hot pursuit. "Come back here, you dognapping freaks!" she cried after them.

By the time Blythe got to the corner, she couldn't see the Porsche or the greyhound anymore.

"What's going on, Blythe?!" called a voice from behind.

She spun about and looked over the fence to see that all of the other little pets had run out at the ruckus behind the pet shop and were now catching up with her.

"What are you doing out here?!" she asked in dismay.

"If Zoe's in some kind of trouble," replied Pepper, "We're going to help!"

"I wish I had time to get my scooter," she sighed, "but even that can't keep up with a sportscar!"

Penny Ling charged into a loose board, knocking it out of place as Blythe ducked to the side. Now all of the little pets could cross the fence without slowing down. Then she heard the squeal of brakes as something crashed. Rushing to the end of the alley, she could see the Porsche was run off the road into a lamp pole. The pole snapped off and crashed onto the car. What really shocked her was the two and a half ton White Rhino that apparently knocked the car off the road.

Blythe whipped out her phone and began dialing Emergency Services even as they got closer.

"Emergency Services," said the operator.

"I'm calling to report a crash near the corner of 101st Avenue and Jefferson Avenues!" she replied quickly.

"Emergency crew will be dispatched there as soon as possible," came the reply, "Are you on scene at the accident?"

"Yes I am!"

"Please draw the attention of Police, Fire and Ambulance crews as they arrive."

"Sure!" she said as she looked at the White Rhino. Even as she looked, she realized the rhino had golden eyes. She ended the call as she blinked.

" **Cheonsa?!** " blurt out Blythe on some strange impulse.

The rhino turned into a five tailed fox. She could see that her golden eyes were now filled with tears. Then the fox suddenly raced away towards the City Park.

" **Please don't go!** " she called after her, but soon the fox was out of sight as it ducked into another alley.

But she couldn't chase her with the crashed car, so she ran up to it. She looked into the car and saw the stuck up poodle owner stunned behind the steering wheel. In the back seat, the show poodle seemed to be stunned as well. The trunk popped open from the impact. She pulled a suspicious looking sack from the back and almost gagged on the fumes as she untied the string keeping it closed. Zoe was out cold as Blythe pulled her out. Then a Police car running lights and sirens came screaming into view.

She stepped back, the fumes from the bag making her dizzy as the pair of cops stopped their car and got out.

"Officer!" she coughed she said as she pointed to the crashed Porsche, "Arrest that man! He's a DOGNAPPER!" The fumes made her stagger and fall into the wall next to her.

"Are you alright..." asked the cop, but Blythe was passing out quickly. She couldn't believe how strong the fumes were.

"Gather up these pets while the am..." said the other cop, but she passed out still holding Zoe in her arms before the sentence was finished.


	20. Chapter 20

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Twenty: Blythe's Search

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe awoke alone, but she couldn't tell where she was. All she could see was that she was being showered with beams of golden light, and she was laying in a field of golden flowers she figured were Chrysanthemums. The sun seemed so bright, yet she didn't feel that it was somehow overbearing or oppressive like she would expect on in some unbearable desert.

" _Human,_ " said a voice over her head, " _Please don't give up on my daughter._ "

She looked up again to see that the sun had nine plumes of flame coming from it as it they were... tails. Then a pair of eyes opened, and she could see a mouth with pointed teeth appear. Even the eyes appeared to be golden and bright.

" _Because of you, she's matured so quickly. Too quickly for her own safety. If left alone, she might... lose her will to be... who she is._ "

"I don't understand," said Blythe when she found her voice.

" _It's hard to explain to a human with a lifespan so short,_ " continued the sun, " _but there has been times when one of our kind fell in love with a being like you, matured too fast, and then suffered badly because the human was removed from their lives suddenly._ "

"But I haven't left her life yet."

" _Then why did you reject her heart? Why did you turn away her love?_ "

"I DID NO SUCH THING!" she cried in response.

" _Why did you react to her like you did?!_ "

"I don't know!" she blurt out, "It's just that I've never seen anything like what she did before! I've never seen anything like who she is!"

" _Then I beg you to find her before it's too late!_ " begged the flaming being, " _Save her from her own despair! Because of the way she feels now, I have been shut out of her dreamscape! You are her only hope!_ "

"You can't help her?!"

" _As a spirit, I can travel to dreams around the world,_ " she replied, " _but my physical body is much more limited. It would take me far too long to come to your city before it wouldn't matter anymore._ "

"Alright, I'll do my best to find her," she said back, "I promise."

" _She loves you with all of her heart,_ " she implored softly, " _and if you can't love her back..._ "

"I know you're her mother and you love her," groaned Blythe, "but do you have to lay the guilt trip on so thick?!"

" _Sorry._ "

"It's okay. I suppose if I were a mother, I'd be freaking out too." She raised her arm and stretched out her fingers towards the golden face.

" _I can't tell if you love her as much as she loves you, but I can tell that you are a good person. The kind of person who won't let another suffer in silence. Even if that is all she means to you, please take care of her._ " Then the flaming sun faded along with the golden light shower.

Then she woke up. She was in a bed surrounded by worried faces.

"Honey!" called a shadow with a male voice, "Are you okay?!"

"We were so worried about you," added a shadow with a girl's voice.

As the light became cleared, she could see the faces of her father and Youngmee.

"Where am I?" asked Blythe.

"You're in the hospital," said her father, "With that dose of animal anesthetic you inhaled, you've been out for almost two days now. We're just glad the bloodwork and other tests indicated there's no long term damage from coming so close... to an overdose."

She sat bolt upright in bed as she called out, "Where's Zoey?!"

"She was taken to an animal hospital for monitoring," offered Youngmee, "After she was found to be well and not badly poisoned, she was released back to the care of the Trents. They felt that they couldn't leave Zoe there..."

"Oh no!" cried Blythe, "It's all my fault!"

"No no no!" interrupted her father, "You saved that dog's life from death by poisoning! The Trents know that!" He looked over at the several vases of flowers and plucked one of the cards from some violet tulips, "See for yourself."

Looking at the card, she read softly, "Thank you so much for saving our precious Zoe. We could never express our true gratitude. When you're well, please go back to caring for her. We trust you with the life of our precious spaniel. Love, John and Clarissa Trent."

Then she looked around the room before she asked, "Where's Cheonsa?"

"She's been missing for two days as well," said Youngmee, "I hope... she isn't in danger."

"She hasn't been by the apartment either," added her father.

"What time is it?!" asked Blythe.

"It's about one in the afternoon."

"Can I borrow your phone?!" she asked as she looked at Youngmee.

"Sure," she replied as she handed her phone over.

Blythe frantically dialed up the Littlest Pet Shop. Then the phone began to ring. She knew that Miss Twombly wasn't fast at getting to the phone, but her nerves were driving her crazy as she waited.

"Littlest Pet Shop," came the calm woman's voice as she picked up at last.

"Miss Twombly?!" asked Blythe.

"Ah, you're awake," she replied, "I hope you're well? Your job is waiting here for you."

"What about Miss Yeou?"

"Well... what about..."

"You haven't fired her, have you?!" she asked as her voice bordered on panic.

"I won't fire anyone until I hear their side of the story, but why..."

"She tried to save Zoe too!" blurt out Blythe, "Something might have happened to her! I'd never forgive myself if she got in trouble or lost her job because of me! I have to make sure she's alright before I can come back to work!"

"Very well," replied Miss Twombly, "I managed the shop for a few decades before you came along. A few more days of the old days won't hurt anything. But I will miss you, my number one employee."

She took a few deep breaths before she replied, "I'll miss you too. And all of the little pets. I swear I'll be back in the shop helping out before you know it. Both me and Cheonsa."

"I'll miss the newfound respect," she added before she hung up.

"Why do you care so much about her?" asked her father as he sat on the edge of the bed and held Blythe's hand. Youngmee came to the other side of the bed.

"Because... I'm her guardian angel," she replied awkwardly.

Youngmee blinked as she took her phone back.

"Guardian angel?" asked her father and Youngmee together.

"I can't explain right now," she replied, "but I know Cheonsa needs me now more than ever. I can't fail her again." At that, she began climbing out of bed.

"You can't just walk out, sweetie," said her father as he hugged her hand tighter, "The hospital has to discharge you."

"But I'm fine, Dad," pleaded Blythe as she stood by her dad, "and I have... a sick feeling... that Cheonsa is out there right now needing my help!" She tried to pull away from his grasp.

"Alright, alright," he said as he reached for the nurse call button, "We'll see about getting you out of here." Then he suddenly paused as he said, "Honey, those hospital gowns have no back... and they needed to remove you unmentionables because of possible contamination."

Blythe blushed as she just realized her butt was showing through the open-backed gown. She stood up straight and used her free hand to close the gown tightly. "Dad!" she moaned, "Don't stare at me like that! It's embarrassing me!"

"Looks mighty fine to me," said someone from the next bed.

She wondered what Jasper Jones was doing in the bed next to her, or why the curtain between them was open, but all she could do was whine, "Jasper! It's not funny!"

"He was kidding you," interrupted Roger as he shot a glaring look at him, "Tell her you were joking."

"Oh yeah," he blurt out quickly, "I'm kidding. I'm such a kidder." Then he added quickly, "Please don't kill me."

He turned to his daughter and said, "So please stay in bed until your Doctor discharges you. I promise I'll make it happen as quickly as I can."

The next day after her discharge, Blythe was searching for Cheonsa. She started at the Littlest Pet Shop, looking around for alleys she might return to or dumpsters she might go back to in search of food. Spending the whole day, she searched in vain. She wouldn't even take a break to eat or drink, and only took potty breaks when she was sure she couldn't hold it back any longer.

' _Damn me,_ ' she thought as she ran around, ' _If she's hurt, I'll never forgive myself!_ '

"Let me help you!" called a familiar voice.

She looked around to see Zoe and Jacque running up towards her.

"Zoe?!" she asked, "What are you doing out here?!" Then she looked at the poodle and narrowed her eyes as she asked, "What is HE doing here?!"

"My owner is in jail," he replied, "So I escaped the pound and went looking for Miss Trent here. She was as desperate to find Petite Renarde as I was to find her."

"He helped me escape my yard so I could find you!" added Zoe.

"I don't know what to do!" pleaded Blythe, "I can't find her anywhere!"

"Have you tried the park?"

"Of course," she replied as she repeated smacked herself in the forehead, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

"Stop beating yourself up and let's go!" replied Zoe as the three of them ran off towards the park. The sun was setting as they made their way in.

"She was in an out of the way part of the park. I don't know why, but I just got this feeling we have to go there again!"

They raced to the bushed and began looking. Suddenly, something 'bit down' on her foot. Looking down, Blythe noticed that an animal leg trap had caught her foot.

"Blast!" she cussed, "There's more of these things?!"

She bent down to pry it open, and she was grateful her shoes had hard noses to them.

"We just have to be more careful," said Zoe, "Move more slowly."

They moved deeper into the bush until they saw a small form laying on the ground. Moving closer, they could see it was a red fox by the moonlight. They were caught by the muzzle in another trap as it stopped the poor thing from opening it's mouth at all, and they weren't moving.

" **NO!** " begged Blyther as she rushed over to the trapped fox, " **Please no!** " The ordinary looking fox with one tail. For some reason, she opened one eye to see a brown eye there instead of the golden eye she was expecting. " **NOOO!** " she screamed as she clutched the fox to her bosom, " **It can't end LIKE THIS!** " Desperately, she pried the trap off her mouth and muzzle, but the fox remained limp in her arms as Blythe broke down and wept a flood of tears.

" **Petite Renarde!** " cried Zoe as she began weeping too.

No one even questioned that the poodle was crying as well.


	21. Chapter 21

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Twenty-One: My Life, My Love, My All

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe clutched the limp fox's body to her bosom as she cried her pain to the heavens. It felt like something in her heart had died and she felt it would never come back. Tears streamed down her face as she closed her eyes. After a while, it seemed that the sky was in the mood to cry with her. She didn't even care that she was getting wet in spite of the proximity she was to a few moderate sized trees.

"Blythe," sobbed Zoe, "We shouldn't leave her here."

But she was too inconsolable to think about responding.

"Why do I feel like this?!" she bawled, "I hardly knew her that well, but I'm dying inside!"

There was no response for several minutes. Suddenly, there was a golden light that Blythe could dimly see even though her eyes were closed tight.

"Blythe?" asked Zoe, "You... might want to see this..."

"Just go away!" she bawled, "I want to be..."

" _Human,_ " said a strangely musical voice.

Her eyes snapped open to see a nine-tailed fox made of golden flame standing before her, yet there was no heat.

"Huh?!" she asked in shock, "What do you want?! I thought you couldn't come here?!"

" _A kumiho can do more than share dreams,_ " she replied, " _I can project my... essence... to another location... But as to why I'm here, I sense... my daughter is dying. I offer you a chance to bring her back... if you truly love her._ "

"How?! There's nothing medicine can do for her now!"

"I _can try to save her,_ " replied the golden flame fox, " _but in order to try, you must love her deeply and truly. What I'm about to do will risk my life for her... because I'm her mother. I'll gladly risk my life for her, but what will you risk in turn?_ "

"Whatever it takes to get her back, I'll risk it."

"Blythe!" interrupted Zoe, "You can't do that! Without you, the Littlest Pet Shop will close! What will happen to us?!"

"I... just have a feeling..." she sobbed, "that this is... the right thing to do."

" _Very well,_ " she said as she walked closer, " _Then we shall begin._ " The kumiho laid her paw of Blythe's chest between her budding breasts and then licked the tip of the sobbing girl's nose. A warmth spread from the fox into her body. It started from her heart and spread out until she felt it in every little bit of her being. " _Are you scared, human?_ "

"No," she replied, "I feel... at peace."

Then her body began to tingle from her heart spreading out as well. It soon also covered her whole body as well. For some reason, the fox's body in her arms grew larger and larger, but that didn't concern her. She was soon falling over onto her side as she continued to desperately clutch her burden... her love.

"Blythe?!" asked Zoe in alarm.

Slowly she opened her eyes to see a golden pair of eyes looking back at her. Her foxish head seemed so large now.

" _Hello, my love,_ " said the golden fox in the voice of Cheonsa.

" _Why... Why do I feel so strange?_ " Blythe asked back.

"Blythe!" shouted Zoe, "You're... You're a fox! A fox with three tails!"

"I must say the two of them together," noted Jacque, "They look mighty fine."

" _What da what?!_ "

" _In order to save my daughter's life, I had to combine our three essences together,_ " said the nine-tailed fox. She turned her head to see that she was much dimmer than she was before.

" _MOMMA?!_ " asked Petite Renarde/Cheonsa, " _What have you done?!_ "

" _I have merely given up a few centuries of my life to save you._ "

" _Am I going to stay as a fox forever?!_ " asked Blythe in growing panic.

" _It's too draining for me to stay any longer,_ " said the mother as her flames dimmed further, " _You have to show her the way now, my darling daughter... In a few months, I'll be strong enough to..._ " But she flicked out and vanished before the sentiment she was trying to finish ended.

" _MOMMA?!_ " cried the five tailed fox.

" _It's alright,_ " said the three tailed fox even though she wasn't quite sure how she knew, " _She's back in her den now. Back home with... What da what?!_ "

"What is it, Blythe?!" asked Zoe.

" _Your father!_ " she blurt out, " _He's an ordinary Korean fox who's lived well beyond his expected lifespan... BY 50 YEARS!_ " She paused to remember the tale before she said, " _When the Kumiho took a husband, the two of them stayed married for almost 100 years! That's much longer than the expected lifespan back then!_ " She started to say something else when she felt something cool and damp under her three tails.

"Jacque?! Do you have to do that right now?!"

"I have to be me, ma cher," he replied as he sniffed Blythe butt.

"Wah!" cried Blythe, "This is too much!"

" _Shh-shh,_ " hushed Cheonsa, " _Do not panic. I think I know what we must do._ " Then she looked at Zoe and Jacque as she added, " _But first, these two need to go back home._ "

"There's no one to look after me now," sighed the poodle, "So there's no point in going home. I'll just be happy living on the street eating from..."

" _Then we shall hide you at the Littlest Pet Shop,_ " she replied, " _I know Blythe would want it that way._ "

" _I know,_ " said Blythe, " _I can text Miss Twombly that's there a new pet we've taken on for daycare,.. but what about..._ "

" _One step at a time, my love._ "

So the two of them went back to the Shop and suck Jacque in the back doggie door. It was lucky he wasn't any larger, or her might have got stuck.

" _Stay here out of sight for the time being,_ " said Cheonsa quietly.

" _Feel free to use the pet food, the water and the litter box until..._ " said Blythe as she paused, " _until I don't know._ "

He nodded as they left, and by slipping down alleys and walking along fence tops, they were soon back to the home of the Trents.

"Zoey?!" called a man's voice from the house, "Where are you?!"

"Try the back yard again," said a woman, "Maybe she's playing Hide and Seek."

"I just want to know she's alright. I'm so worried about her."

The two foxes smiled as Zoe slipped in through the wooden fence past a loose board. A few minutes later, they heard him say, "Oh, she was just hiding out behind her summer doghouse!"

Zoe said, "Here I am!" Of course, it sounded to him like yipping and barking.

"Come here you!" he called as they heard Zoe running, "I was so worried about you, you silly girl!"

Then they heard the sounds of licking.

"Okay! Okay!" he pleaded, "I forgive you! Now just come in the house! You need a bath, young lady!"

Zoe whimpered slightly.

"Don't give me that," he replied as the back door of the house opened and closed.

" _Now we need to go back to your place,_ " said Cheonsa softly.

" _How are two foxes going to get into my place?!_ "

" _Come closer and I shall show you,_ " she replied.

Blythe came closer and for some reason, rested her head over Cheonsa's neck and closed her eyes. She in turn returned the gesture, and soon Blythe felt all tingly again.

" _Open your eyes, darling._ "

Looking around, she was now looking at the golden eyes of a red-breasted Starling. She realized she was now a bird too.

" _Wah!_ " protested Blythe, " _I can't fly!_ "

" _Don't worry. Deep down, you already know. Just follow me back to your apartment and land on the windowsill just outside your bedroom._ "

She jumped into the air and flew. Afraid of being left behind, she jumped into the air and realized she did know how to fly. They flew across town as she looked down and marveled at the bird's eye view she had never seen before. Not even when she was on one of her father's flights. Soon, her own apartment building came into view. They circled around until they could see the Littlest Pet Shop beneath them before they came to land on the windowsill just outside her own bedroom. Using her beak, Cheonsa surprisingly lifted the edge of the window enough that the two of them could slip inside. For some reason, Blythe flew over to her own comforting bed as Cheonsa followed.

" _First a fox and now a bird?!_ " she asked in alarm, " _What's happening?! It's all so... MMMPPPHHH!_ " Her cries were cut off by a beak to beak kiss. Her body tingled again with a golden flash of light, and she was suddenly a naked human girl cuddling with an equally naked human girl locked in a full mouth kiss. "Mmm?!" she protested as Cheonsa wrapped her arms about her chest. As the two cuddled and kissed, Miss Baxter rolled to be the one on top.

"Mmmm..." purred Cheonsa.

"Mmmppphhh..." she replied as she in turn wrapped her arms about her love. Now their breasts were mooshed against each other as their legs intertwined. Her hand slipped down Cheonsa's back until she was fondling the other girl's buttcheek.

Suddenly, the door opened as Roger said, "Honey, sorry I'm late, but I brought home some... ACK!" There was several awkward seconds as he stared at the two attractive females naked, embracing and kissing each other before he said, "So sorry!" He backed out fast and the door slammed closed.

"I guess I got some 'splaining to..." as she broke off the kiss, "HEY!" She had turned her head to see the wide-eyed look her father had given them, but now Cheonsa was licking Blythe's face like a dog... or a fox.

"Honorable father should be more respectful of his honorable daughter's alone time," said Cheonsa with a wink as she stopped licking Blythe's cheek.

"Soooooo..." she replied awkwardly.

"Yes," she interrupted, "The one I've been looking for. The one I love. The one I want to marry more than anything..."

"Is me?!"

Cheonsa nodded.

"Oh this is really gonna take some 'splainin..."

Blythe felt a hand slip down her side until it was between her legs and stomach as her love sighed, "Well honorable father will need to wait a little while before you explain anything." She meeped as Cheonsa's hand began rubbing up and down her feminine slit. "By the way, do you like the way my buttucks feels?"

"Yes..." sighed Blythe, but then blurt out, "No!" Then she paused to say, "Uh... maybe?"

"Besides, there's something else... you will have to explain to honorable father..."

"That another woman loves me and wants to marry me?"

"No..."

"That I want you to live here with me and share the same bedroom? The same job? Share our lives?"

"No..."

"Well what is it?" asked Blythe genuinely curious.

"Your eyes..." she replied softly, "They're now golden like mine. You are now... and forever... a Kumiho as well as a human."

"Oh that," she giggled, "I'll just tell him it's one of those... sudden puberty changes!"

Cheonsa giggled as she rubbed Blythe's slit with her fingers more deeply.

Blythe shivered as she said, "Oh,.. that feels good... even more than when I do it to..." She paused as she suddenly blushed hotly and blurt out, "Nothing! When I do nothing!"

But the Korean girl quiet her by taking the back of her head with one hand and dragged her into a deep kiss. Blythe purred as her body was getting worked up on Cheonsa's fingers, their probing moving through her now puffy and warm netherlips as she sought the deeper parts of her birth canal.

"Mmmm..." moaned Blyther into her mouth.


	22. Chapter 22

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Twenty-Two: My Life Changing

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe awoke the next morning still cuddling with Cheonsa. She couldn't help but look at her peacefully sleeping smile as they rested almost forehead to forehead.

' _Maybe this is a dream?_ ' she wondered. But with her arms about the other's torso, she felt all too real. She brought about her upper arm to brush the back of her fingers against Cheonsa's soft cheek. ' _I guess this is the time when reality exceeds fantasy,_ ' she thought wistfully. She tilted her head so she could kiss her on the forehead as her hand drifted down towards her love's shoulder. ' _Even the way she smells in the morning... so exotic and beautiful..._ '

Slowly, the golden eyes opened to consider her back. They seemed even more golden then they were the night before. A moment passed before Cheonsa finally spoke. "Do you like my breast, my love?" she asked as her eyes twinkled in the morning light.

It suddenly occurred to Blythe that her hand was in fact covering Cheonsa's breast and she was squeezing it rather fondly. This made her cheeks flush beet red, but her love simply smiled back as she used her opposite hand to cover Blythe's hand and stop her from pulling said hand back.

"Feel it as long as you please," she purred, "I want you to be happy."

"But... but.. but..." spluttered Blythe in reply.

"Well, if you wish to feel my butt as well, I shall surely not mind," she answered with a wink.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

"You know," she sighed as she placed her hand behind Blythe's head, "You talk too much." She flashed her biggest smile just before she pulled her into a full throated kiss. Her head turned just enough for their noses to miss each other, and to get the most mouth to mouth contact.

"Mmmppphhh?!" she moaned into the kiss as tongue was exchanged.

Cheonsa rolled her so that her body was on top of Blythe's and their legs entwined even more. Her knee was all but mooshed into Blythe's crotch as she did so.

But the moment suddenly ended as there was a knock at their door.

"Honey?" asked her father, "I'm leaving for the airport now. Aren't you a little late for work?"

Blythe gasp as she sat up, and in the process unbalanced Cheonsa. She tumbled over the side of the bed to land upon her backside as she looked towards the door. ' _At least he didn't come barging in again._ ' She tried to compose her thoughts as she said, "Thanks Dad. Have a good day."

"Perform admirably, most honorable Mister Baxter," added Cheonsa.

"Uh... thanks?" he replied.

Blythe looked down at the floor as she said quietly, "Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, my butt can take more than that," she replied with a big grin. She glanced at the clock and added, "It seems that we are now 3 minutes and 57 seconds behind schedule. We will need to make up for much lost time." She jumped to her feet and swept Blythe into her arms before she knew it.

' _I... could get used to this..._ ' thought Blythe as she was rushed off to the bathroom to share a steamy shower with Cheonsa and get every part of her body scrubbed clean with loving caresses and attention. She wasn't sure, but she was fairly certain that her father left while they were in the shower. But since she didn't make breakfast for him, she did feel a little bad about the whole thing.

A few minutes later, the two of them were fully dressed. Blythe found herself sitting at the table waiting as Cheonsa put together a solid breakfast faster than she could have poured a bowl of cereal, made buttered toast, a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice. She managed to make omelette au fromage with diced ham, mushrooms and chopped green onions in the same amount of time... for two.

Blythe felt a touch guilty about wolfing such delicious food down so fast, but Cheonsa was doing the same. She was sure she could somehow return the favor later by taking her out for Korean food for lunch. Because of Cheonsa's efficiency and planning, they made it to work with about 2 minutes and 46 seconds to spare.

...

Miss Twombly walked down towards the Littlest Pet Shop as she reviewed her accounting books again. Glancing up over her glasses, she noted that all the glass in the front of the store glittered in the sunlight. While Blythe was hardly a slacker, she could hardly believe how spotless the place was when she came in each and every morning now that Cheonsa was working there as well.

' _I'm so glad I gave Miss Yeou a chance,_ ' she thought as she walked up to the front doors, ' _Miss Baxter is finally getting enough time to devout to her fashion career._ ' Reaching out, she started pushing the door open.

But before it had even moved a couple of inches, she heard in stereo, "Good morning, honorable Miss Twombly!" She blinked as she found herself looking at Blythe and Cheonsa both fixed in her direction in a deep bow.

"Good morning," she replied as she adjusted her glasses with her pointer finger, but then said after a few seconds, "You don't need to bow anymore. I'd swear Miss Yeou is wearing off on you, Blythe."

"I'm beginning to see the virtue of how respectful Koreans can be to their superiors," replied Blythe with a grin.

"So much respect," she sighed back, "but you don't have to stop what you're doing for that."

When Blythe stood, Anna noticed something was... different.

"Are you wearing colored contacts?" she asked as she looked into her now golden eyes.

"Oh no," she answered quickly, "Just puberty... or something I've been eating."

Anna nodded as she took her explanation at face value.

Blythe blinked as Cheonsa was already moving to the back to check up on the little pets again. So she went back to make sure the register was in order as well as the morning reports. Miss Twombly went to her desk to go over her own books. After a couple of minutes, she heard something going on in the back. A rather large conversation. So she slipped over to hear things better from just outside the room.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you know I understand your speech before," said Cheonsa quietly, "I... just didn't want you to think... I was trying to replace Miss Baxter in your minds and hearts."

"I knew it!" replied Pepper.

She risked peeking around the corner to see Cheonsa kneeling, and all of the little pets gathered about her. Russel was on his back laid open and vulnerable as she scratched his stomach. His back legs playfully wrapped about her wrist as her fingers played across the soft underbelly fur.

' _Russel really must trust her now,_ ' thought Blythe as she smiled.

But Sunil... he seemed a little more distant from Cheonsa than the others.

"Well I for one think it's amazing to have two humans understand us and take care of us!" said Penny Ling cheerfully.

"Me two!" agreed Zoe.

"Hey!" said Minka as she looped her tail about Sunil, "It won't be fair unless you get some too!" She used her strong tail to pull him right up to Cheonsa. She used her hand to turn him on his back so she could give his soft underside a good rubbing as well. His legs twitched as he got petted like he hadn't been petted in months.

"I could get used to this," sighed the mongoose.

Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Miss Twombly looking at her over her glasses, so she smiled and gave a little thumbs up gesture as she returned to her sketch book. Anna seemed satisfied as she returned to her reading. After she finished with a new outfit for Petite Renarde, she looked up to notice it was about time for their lunch break. It was an adorable little outfit that she styled after a classic movie version of the Robin Hood costume (complete with the green feathered cap and similar tights underneath). In fact, it did bear a striking resemblance to the Disney version of Robin Hood where the main hero was an anthro fox even down to the little green slippers over the hind feet.

"Cheonsa?" asked Blythe as she called into the back, "Wrap things up back there! It's only _2 minutes and 10 seconds_ until our lunch break starts!"

"Thank you!" she replied from out of her view.

' _I guess... Cheonsa's efficiency is starting to rub off on me,_ ' she thought as Anna glanced at her again over the rims of her glasses.

Glancing up at the clock, Miss Twombly said, "This time, try not to come back to work tardy."

"Of course, honorable Miss Twombly," she replied as she gave a quick bow in her boss' direction.

She smiled as Cheonsa came bustling from the back room and the two of them headed for the door.

"You know," said Blythe as she led the way out into the street, "I've found this little Korean restaurant about a mile from here that I'd like to try today. It's a tad pricey, but don't worry: I can cover both of us. It has this dish called Japche I want to try."

"Glass noodle stir fry?" replied Cheonsa, "But that has ribeye fillet in it. I'm not worth that..."

She pulled her love into a hug as they walked and replied, "Of course you're worth it to me!"

"I love you," she purred as she gave a kiss to her love's cheek.

"I love you too," replied Blythe, "Even if it's still a few more years before worrying about... you know... marriage."

"Yes, I understand American law generally doesn't allow marriage before 18. That's pretty much the same as Korea now. But I will wait with great joy for the day I can marry you."

Blythe nodded as she returned the kiss to the cheek of her love.

"But if you don't let me treat you to all-beef coney dogs tomorrow," she purred into Blythe's ear, "I shall become rather upset with you. It's not fair that you spend so much on me and not expect any in return."

"Oh, I'm sure looking forward to that," she giggled back.


	23. Chapter 23

The Littlest Kumiho

Part Twenty-Three: Towards the Future

by neoraichu

All characters of The Littlest Pet Shop remain the property of Hasbro Inc and the show's creators.

...

Blythe passed the day checking up on inventory, ringing up purchases, watching the storefront and taking some time to add to her design book until Miss Twombly called her over to "her office". All it took was a small hand gesture to bring Blythe over.

"Yes, Miss Twombly?" she asked as her new golden eyes sparkled, "Wait... you want to speak to me about something important?"

Anna blinked at Blythe's insight before she answered, "Yes, I would."

"You're still too young to retire!" she blurt out.

"How did you..." she replied before she paused to blink, "You've always been perceptive with more than just animals, but rest assured I still have a few good years left in me."

The young lady smiled back at her words.

"But still I won't be around much longer than that," she continued as she adjusted her glasses, "I'm already well into Social Security age, and you care more about this pet shop than anyone else I know."

She gasp as if she knew what was coming.

"So I want to write you into my will, dear Miss Baxter. When my time comes... or perhaps sooner... I want you to take over the Littlest Pet Shop. It's something I would sooner trust to you than any of my living relatives."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready..."

"I'll take you under my wing and start training you to manage the whole store for me starting tomorrow. The way you supervise Cheonsa Yeou has shown me that you're ready for such responsibilities, my dear."

"Thank you..." stammered Blythe, "I don't know what to say."

"Just start with 'Yes'," she replied with a grin.

"Okay... yes."

"With a little training, I'm sure you'll be making enough money to expand the store, hire new help and still have time to work on your pet fashion career."

"I'm... glad that you... have so much faith in me..." she said as she teared up a little bit.

"Blythe, are you?.."

"It's just... Dust! It must have gotten on my face when I was taking the trash out back!" she replied as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Maybe you should start wearing eye protection in the back alley," she mused with a grin.

"Of course, Anna."

"Just so you know, Miss Yeou is now officially your responsibility," she added, "to train and supervise from this day forward. I shall also leave most minor discipline matters concerning her in your capable hands."

"I'll do my best!" said Blythe proudly as she puffed out her chest.

"So I'll leave it to you to pass this information onto your employee as you see fit."

She nodded in reply as she wiped her eyes again. "I might as well tell her right now," came her response as she headed to the back room.

Anna nodded as she returned to her paperwork.

"Oh Anna?" asked Blythe as she turned back.

"Yes Miss Baxter?"

"I do have one leeetle condition on that."

Anna raised her eyebrow as she replied, "And what might that be?"

"Cheonsa and I..." answered Blythe slowly, "We want to be your students in Martial Arts Knitting!"

"Really? I've never felt that you've expressed in interest in that before."

"That was before Cheonsa began gushing all over me about how awesome your skills are," she replied as she smiled.

"Oh..." she mused back, "Well I'd be honored to have you as my students. I can set something up, but I'll have to close the shop on Sunday mornings to train you two."

Blythe nodded as she went to the back.

" _Come here little hedgehog,_ " growled a soft voice in the back, " _I'm going to gobble you up!_ "

But instead of the screams of terror she expected to hear, Russell was laughing uncontrollably. She peeked around the corner to see Russel pinned on his back while Petite Renarde had him under her front paws... blowing raspberries into the hedgehog's soft underbelly.

' _Even as a fox, Russell trusts her with his life now,_ ' she thought as she smiled.

"No fair!" whined Russell as he tried to catch his breath.

"I guess Cheonsa must be in the back checking on supplies," said Blythe back towards Anna even though the statement was meant for the ears of the fox.

"Go back and check then," replied Anna, "You don't need to report that to me."

The fox scurried for the back room where no doubt Blythe figured she left her clothes. By the time Blythe got to the back room, the fox was now human again and more than half dressed.

"Guess what..." she asked as Cheonsa turned to show off her bare chest, "I... I..."

"Yes, my love?"

"I... uh..." she spluttered before lightly slapping herself across the cheek, "Miss Twombly is going to hand down the Littlest Pet Shop to me when she retires... and she's going to train us in Martial Arts Knitting every Sunday!"

"I'm so happy!" she gushed as she rushed over to glomp onto Blythe. Tears flowed from her eyes onto Blythe's shirt. Blythe hugged her back in turn and blushed with Cheonsa's bare breasts mooshed into her chest.

The little pets clustered around the corner as Russell said for them all, "With Blythe and Cheonsa here, we couldn't be better cared for."

"Even if it's from a fox?" asked Pepper.

He simply nodded in reply.


End file.
